Twenty-five years ago GT Dave started brewing kombucha in his parents’ home and evangelizing the fermented beverage to anyone who would listen and take a sip of the then-unfamiliar brew.
Today, GT’s Living Foods is a billion-dollar food platform. Kombucha still stands at the forefront of the company’s product offerings. Tea, kefir, shots and yogurt build on the living food offerings.
Innovation remains key for GT, but it’s a pressure he feels, too.

GT Dave
“Innovation is our lifeblood,” he says. “I think that’s what most companies need to do these days to stay relevant is, to constantly be moving forward, and definitely not getting complacent, because those who get complacent are those who will lose.”
Yet, GT cautions, just because a business can innovate doesn’t mean it should. Listen in to this episode of Fodder to understand how he balances the pressure, when to let it go, what servant leadership means to him and what worries him about the changing natural products industry.