Figment Kombucha: A Confidential Sale to a Beverage Industry Buyer Group

Figment Kombucha

Sell-Side Advisory  |  Craft Kombucha & Functional Beverage Manufacturing  |  Athens, Georgia

From Farmers Market Booth to Regional Kombucha Brand

Figment Brewing, LLC, doing business as Figment Kombucha, was founded in 2018 by husband-and-wife co-founders Jason and Jessica Dean, who began selling kombucha from a small booth at the Athens Farmers Market in Athens, Georgia.

What started as a farmers-market side business grew into a fully operating craft kombucha producer running out of a 3,000-square-foot production and storage facility in Athens.

The Company built its business on a direct-to-consumer model, selling online and through a wholesale portal. Figment's product line centers on low-sugar, gluten-free, vegan kombucha offered in rotating seasonal flavors released roughly six times a year.

Figment built its reputation on freshness and sustainability, including a 1% for the Planet commitment tied to sourcing from local Georgia farmers. Its culture reflected the founders' community-first approach while operating with a lean team led in day-to-day brewing operations by head brewer Emily Shaw.

Positioning a Founder-Built Brand for Its Next Stage of Growth

Having built Figment from a farmers-market booth into an established regional kombucha brand over seven years, Jason and Jessica Dean determined they had taken the Company as far as they could on their own and began looking for an owner who could take it further.

Running a Competitive, Confidential Process

Sunbelt Atlanta, led by M&A Advisor Mark Werbalowsky, built a targeted buyer universe spanning strategic beverage companies, financial buyers, and individual buyer-operators.

Over the course of the engagement, the process engaged 14 qualified buyers under strict confidentiality, protecting Figment's brand, wholesale accounts, and competitive position while the process played out.

Running a broad, confidential process is one of the clearest ways a business broker or M&A advisor creates value for a seller: qualified buyers can only compete for a deal they know exists, while confidentiality helps prevent unnecessary disruption among employees, customers, and competitors.

Industry Tailwinds Behind the Deal

The transaction closed against a backdrop of sustained growth in the kombucha and functional beverage category.

Consumer trends are reinforcing that growth through rising interest in natural, organic, probiotic-rich beverages, broader functional beverage adoption, sustainability preferences, and increasing strategic interest in established health-focused beverage brands.

Key Takeaways for Business Owners Considering a Sale

Thinking About Selling Your Kombucha or Functional Beverage Company?

Figment Kombucha's story shows what's possible with the right buyer and the right process. Sunbelt Atlanta runs confidential, competitive sale processes for owners of privately held companies, with no upfront fees.

Experienced Guidance From Valuation Through Closing

Since 1998, Sunbelt Atlanta has helped business owners across Georgia and the Southeast sell their companies confidentially and on their own terms. With more than 1,250 businesses sold, a no-upfront-fee, success-driven approach, and experience across a wide range of industries, Sunbelt Atlanta's team of Dealmakers guides owners through every stage of a sale.