{"id":"guest:115","sourceProfileId":108,"slug":"matt-lancor","name":"Matt Lancor","headline":"Founder & CEO, Kombuchade","bio":"Matt Lancor was on the rugby field in Seattle — playing in the USA Rugby National Championships in 2014 — when he picked up a bottle of GT's Kombucha from a grocery end-cap and felt something that would quietly change his life. Not immediately. Not even that weekend, exactly. But the morning of competition, after drinking three bottles across the tournament, he woke up and had, as he would later describe it, the perfect pregame poop. For an athlete whose gut had been quietly misbehaving under the stress of elite competition, the normalcy of that morning was a revelation.\n\nMatt Lancor studied material science engineering at the University of Illinois, where his analytical training gave him a framework for understanding the structural properties of natural ingredients that most people in the kombucha space simply did not have. Before founding Kombuchade, he worked as a technical sales engineer for a German industrial automation company, visiting manufacturing plants across the automotive, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries — designing applications that helped companies save time through automated production. What he saw inside those processed food plants horrified him: the distance between what Americans were eating and what human bodies were designed to process.\n\nThe turning point came at a beer brewery, where he was working on an engineering project and felt what he later described as a spiritual conviction — an overwhelming sense that he was supposed to build something for people, not for machines. Something that addressed the gut health crisis he was watching unfold in American food culture. Something that bridged the ancient tradition of fermented foods with the performance demands of athletes. He walked away from his six-figure engineering career, moved back into his mother's house in 2014, and started brewing.\n\nThe brand he built is called Kombuchade — a name that signals both its kombucha roots and its athletic orientation, referencing Gatorade's category position as an active-hydration beverage. From the beginning, Matt designed Kombuchade differently from the oversweetened, highly carbonated kombucha products filling store shelves. He pursued a smoother, less carbonated formula with functional herbs and teas — later adding mineral elements including kosher Celtic sea salt for electrolyte support — specifically engineered for the gut-health needs of athletes who drink it on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule leading up to a Saturday match.\n\nHis first customers were his rugby teammates. Then athletes in CrossFit and martial arts found it. Then Kombuchade found its way into workplaces and offices in Chicago. Today, Kombuchade self-manufactures in Chicago — in its own licensed wholesale food establishment — using the same SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) Matt started with in 2014. His mission: help 100,000 people take their first step toward balancing their gut health, with a revenue target of $100 million by 2035.\n\nMatt holds certifications as a Nutritional Therapist (The Health Sciences Academy), a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a Reiki Master Teacher, and a Tier 1 Kombucha Brewer through the Kombucha Brewers International. He appeared on the Center Stage segment of Mornings in the Lab to discuss the connection between gut health, athletic performance, and what most men get wrong when they treat their gut like a side quest.","originalBio":"Matt Lancor was on the rugby field in Seattle — playing in the USA Rugby National Championships in 2014 — when he picked up a bottle of GT's Kombucha from a grocery end-cap and felt something that would quietly change his life. Not immediately. Not even that weekend, exactly. But the morning of competition, after drinking three bottles across the tournament, he woke up and had, as he would later describe it, the perfect pregame poop. For an athlete whose gut had been quietly misbehaving under the stress of elite competition, the normalcy of that morning was a revelation.\n\nMatt Lancor studied material science engineering at the University of Illinois, where his analytical training gave him a framework for understanding the structural properties of natural ingredients that most people in the kombucha space simply did not have. Before founding Kombuchade, he worked as a technical sales engineer for a German industrial automation company, visiting manufacturing plants across the automotive, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries — designing applications that helped companies save time through automated production. What he saw inside those processed food plants horrified him: the distance between what Americans were eating and what human bodies were designed to process.\n\nThe turning point came at a beer brewery, where he was working on an engineering project and felt what he later described as a spiritual conviction — an overwhelming sense that he was supposed to build something for people, not for machines. Something that addressed the gut health crisis he was watching unfold in American food culture. Something that bridged the ancient tradition of fermented foods with the performance demands of athletes. He walked away from his six-figure engineering career, moved back into his mother's house in 2014, and started brewing.\n\nThe brand he built is called Kombuchade — a name that signals both its kombucha roots and its athletic orientation, referencing Gatorade's category position as an active-hydration beverage. From the beginning, Matt designed Kombuchade differently from the oversweetened, highly carbonated kombucha products filling store shelves. He pursued a smoother, less carbonated formula with functional herbs and teas — later adding mineral elements including kosher Celtic sea salt for electrolyte support — specifically engineered for the gut-health needs of athletes who drink it on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule leading up to a Saturday match.\n\nHis first customers were his rugby teammates. Then athletes in CrossFit and martial arts found it. Then Kombuchade found its way into workplaces and offices in Chicago. Today, Kombuchade self-manufactures in Chicago — in its own licensed wholesale food establishment — using the same SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) Matt started with in 2014. His mission: help 100,000 people take their first step toward balancing their gut health, with a revenue target of $100 million by 2035.\n\nMatt holds certifications as a Nutritional Therapist (The Health Sciences Academy), a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a Reiki Master Teacher, and a Tier 1 Kombucha Brewer through the Kombucha Brewers International. He appeared on the Center Stage segment of Mornings in the Lab to discuss the connection between gut health, athletic performance, and what most men get wrong when they treat their gut like a side quest.","portrait":"https://app.conversationos.live/api/public/guest-photo/matt-lancor.jpg","originalHeadshot":"https://app.conversationos.live/api/public/guest-photo/matt-lancor.jpg","topics":["Center Stage","Gut health and the microbiome for athletic performance","Kombucha fermentation science and production","Material science engineering applied to functional beverages","Probiotic foods and their role in recovery and inflammation reduction","American processed food manufacturing and health impacts","Entrepreneur journey: from six-figure career to founder","Rugby athlete performance and gut health connections","Organic ingredient sourcing and small-batch manufacturing","Nutritional therapy and functional supplement design","Gut health for fat loss, energy, and training recovery","Mission-driven brand building in the wellness space","Community-first distribution: athlete and CrossFit market penetration"],"expertise":[],"product":"center-stage","socialLinks":{},"sameAs":[],"appearances":[{"showName":"Mornings in the Lab","segment":"Center Stage","date":"2026-02-16","sourceUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVcCSKyWRUI","videoId":"pVcCSKyWRUI"}],"primaryVideoId":"pVcCSKyWRUI","primaryTitle":"He Left a $150K Engineering Career to Brew Kombucha","episodeNumber":"#CS-016","authoritySegment":"Center Stage","clips":[],"insights":[{"eyebrow":"","quote":"If you train hard but still feel puffy, tired, and stuck — it's not always willpower. Sometimes it's your gut waving a red flag.","context":"The opening frame of Matt's story reframes what most people attribute to discipline failures (feeling puffy, tired, stuck) as a gut health problem. This reframe is both scientifically grounded and commercially powerful — it identifies a real but under-recognized root cause and positions Kombuchade as the solution.","topic":"Gut health as the hidden variable in athletic performance","timestamp":null},{"eyebrow":"","quote":"I quit my six-figure engineering job after witnessing the horrors of processed food manufacturing plants here in our country.","context":"Matt's departure from his engineering career was not impulsive — it was the product of firsthand exposure to the systems producing food Americans eat daily. His engineering access to food plants gave him information that most consumers and even most entrepreneurs in the wellness space never see.","topic":"Inside the food manufacturing system: what Matt saw","timestamp":null},{"eyebrow":"","quote":"He felt a spiritual conviction to build a kombucha facility for active people. It was so strong that Matt walked away from a six-figure engineering career.","context":"The characterization of Matt's decision as a spiritual conviction — not just a business opportunity — signals that Kombuchade was not built purely from market analysis. It was built from a sense of calling, which is why Matt has sustained it through years of financial difficulty, starting at his mother's house and delivering product in a Volkswagen Jetta.","topic":"Calling vs. career: the spiritual conviction behind Kombuchade","timestamp":null},{"eyebrow":"","quote":"In 2014, he was back at his mom's house brewing kombuchade. He convinced his rugby teammates to be the first customers.","context":"The origin story is elemental: a person with deep knowledge and conviction, a mother's kitchen, and the trust of people who knew him. Every large business that starts small has a version of this moment. Matt's is particularly clean because his first customers were also his community.","topic":"From mom's kitchen to Chicago manufacturing","timestamp":null},{"eyebrow":"","quote":"Today, Kombuchade self-manufactures in Chicago using the same SCOBY Matt started with in 2014.","context":"The same SCOBY — the living culture of bacteria and yeast that drives fermentation — has been in continuous use since the beginning. This is not a romantic detail: it is a product integrity story. The living organism at the center of Kombuchade is a direct biological continuation of where the company started.","topic":"Product integrity: ten years, one SCOBY","timestamp":null},{"eyebrow":"","quote":"His mission is helping 100,000 people balance gut health.","context":"Matt's stated mission is a specific number applied to a specific outcome — a characteristic precision that reflects his engineering background. He is not just 'improving health' in the abstract; he has set a target and built a company designed to reach it.","topic":"The 100,000-person gut health mission","timestamp":null},{"eyebrow":"","quote":"I wanted to make something that was closer to a Gatorade version of kombucha — but without the added sugar.","context":"Matt's product design philosophy is perfectly articulated in this sentence. He saw a gap between performance drinks (which are sugary and artificial) and existing kombucha products (which are often too carbonated and overly sweet) and engineered into that gap a product that serves athletes in both form and function.","topic":"Designing the athlete-oriented kombucha gap","timestamp":null},{"eyebrow":"","quote":"One of the guys on my team that year actually went on to become a two-time Olympian — and none of us knew anything about gut health at the time.","context":"This detail grounds the Kombuchade origin story in genuine athletic performance context. Matt was not selling health products to casual gym-goers — he was embedded in a team that included elite-level athletes, which gave his early observations about performance and gut health real validity.","topic":"Elite athlete origins of the Kombuchade formula","timestamp":null}],"quotes":["If you train hard but still feel puffy, tired, and stuck — it's not always willpower. Sometimes it's your gut waving a red flag.","I quit my six-figure engineering job after witnessing the horrors of processed food manufacturing plants here in our country.","He felt a spiritual conviction to build a kombucha facility for active people. It was so strong that Matt walked away from everything."],"faqs":[{"question":"What is Kombuchade and how is it different from regular kombucha?","answer":"Kombuchade is a performance-focused kombucha brand founded in 2014 and manufactured in Chicago by Matt Lancor, a material science engineer and former national rugby player. Unlike traditional kombucha, which is often highly carbonated and sweetened, Kombuchade is specifically designed for athletes: lower carbonation, functional herbs and organic teas, and more recently, added mineral electrolytes including kosher Celtic sea salt. The product is brewed through a seven-day natural fermentation process using exclusively organic ingredients and a continuous SCOBY culture that has been maintained since 2014. Matt designed Kombuchade as a gut health tool for active humans — something between a functional probiotic and an athlete-oriented hydration beverage — to be used consistently on training days rather than as an in-game drink."},{"question":"Who is Matt Lancor and why did he leave engineering to make kombucha?","answer":"Matt Lancor is the founder and CEO of Kombuchade, a Chicago-based performance kombucha company. He studied material science engineering at the University of Illinois and spent his early career as a technical sales engineer for a German industrial automation company, working in processed food manufacturing plants where he observed the quality gap in American food production firsthand. In 2014, during the USA Rugby National Championships in Seattle, he discovered kombucha and experienced its gut health benefits directly. Combined with what he had witnessed inside food manufacturing plants and a spiritual conviction he describes as overpowering, he quit his six-figure engineering career, returned to his mother's house, and began brewing. He has built Kombuchade from a home-brew operation into a licensed Chicago manufacturing facility with a $100 million revenue target for 2035."},{"question":"How does gut health affect athletic performance and recovery?","answer":"According to Matt Lancor's experience and research, gut health directly affects athletic performance through multiple pathways: regulation of digestion and nutrient absorption, modulation of inflammation, management of energy crashes, and even influence on motivation and endurance (research has shown gut microbiome composition can affect lactic acid processing and endurance performance). Matt discovered the gut-performance connection when consistent kombucha consumption during the 2014 national rugby championships eliminated the digestive irregularity he had previously normalized as a side effect of athletic stress. He now teaches that gut inflammation is often the root cause of symptoms athletes misattribute to willpower failures — feeling puffy, fatigued, or stuck in training — and that probiotic-rich fermented foods are among the most effective interventions."},{"question":"Where can I buy Kombuchade kombucha?","answer":"Kombuchade is primarily distributed in the Chicago area through the company's own delivery system and retail partnerships. Matt Lancor founded the company on a direct-distribution model — he originally delivered product himself in a Volkswagen Jetta — and has steadily expanded the brand's reach in local restaurants, gyms, and office wellness programs. The company's current product lineup includes functional kombucha with electrolytes in flavors including Wild Guava, Mango Turmeric, and Lavender Lemonade. For purchasing information and availability updates, visit kombuchade.com."},{"question":"What certifications and credentials does Matt Lancor hold?","answer":"Matt Lancor holds a degree in Material Science Engineering from the University of Illinois, a certification as a Nutritional Therapist from the Health Sciences Academy, a Tier 1 Kombucha Brewer certification from the Kombucha Brewers International, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belt, and a Reiki Master Teacher certification in the Usui System of Natural Healing. His multidisciplinary background — engineering, nutritional therapy, martial arts, and energy work — is directly reflected in how he approaches product development and the education component of the Kombuchade brand. He has also been featured in podcast conversations with researchers including gastroenterologist Dr. Emeran Mayer on the science of fermented beverages and athletic performance."},{"question":"What is Matt Lancor's mission with Kombuchade?","answer":"Matt Lancor's mission is to help 100,000 people take their first step toward balancing their gut health, with a long-term revenue target of $100 million by 2035. He built Kombuchade specifically to bridge the gap between ancient fermented food traditions and modern athletic performance needs — making probiotic-rich, performance-oriented kombucha approachable and cool for athletes and active people who would otherwise never engage with gut health as a category. He believes that if he can make gut health accessible through a beverage that tastes good and fits into an athlete's lifestyle, he can address not just performance problems but the broader chronic health challenges — obesity, digestive disease, inflammation — that affect millions of Americans."}],"transcript":"If you train hard but still feel puffy, tired, and stuck, it's not always willpower. Sometimes it's your gut waving a red flag. Most men treat gut health like a side quest. Then recovery stalls, cravings get loud, and the mirror stops cooperating. We've got Matt Lancor in the lab. And if you want better recovery, easier fat loss, and stronger training days, you'll love his story. Matt studied material science engineering at the University of Illinois. But what pulled him into this started in rugby, not a classroom. During a national rugby championship run, he noticed his performance changed when his gut was off. That's when he discovered probiotics. As an engineer, he sometimes entered processed food plants. What he saw was horrifying. His turning point came on an engineering project inside a beer brewery. He felt a spiritual conviction to build a kombucha facility for active people. It was so strong that Matt walked away from a six-figure engineering career. In 2014, he was back at his mom's house brewing kombuchade. He convinced his rugby teammates to be the first customers. Then word spread and athletes in CrossFit and martial arts gave it a shot too. Today, Kombuchade self-manufactures in Chicago using the same scoby Matt started with in 2014. His mission is helping 100,000 people balance gut health.","conversationTopics":[{"label":"The gut health problem most athletes ignore","duration":"~2 minutes","summary":"The open frames gut health as the hidden variable behind performance plateau symptoms — feeling puffy, tired, stuck — and positions Matt as the person who has lived and solved this problem."},{"label":"The engineering background and food plant access","duration":"~3 minutes","summary":"Matt describes his material science engineering degree, his career in industrial automation, and what he witnessed inside American processed food manufacturing plants that made him determined to build something different."},{"label":"The rugby tournament and the kombucha discovery","duration":"~4 minutes","summary":"Matt recounts the 2014 USA Rugby National Championships in Seattle — discovering kombucha on a grocery end-cap, drinking three bottles across the tournament, and the gut-regulatory effect that started the chain of events leading to Kombuchade."},{"label":"The spiritual conviction and leaving the career","duration":"~3 minutes","summary":"Matt describes the beer brewery engineering project that produced an overwhelming sense of conviction — that he was meant to build a kombucha facility for active people. The decision to walk away from a six-figure career."},{"label":"Starting in mom's kitchen: the origin story","duration":"~3 minutes","summary":"Matt details the early days: home brewing in his mother's kitchen, convincing rugby teammates to be first customers, expanding to CrossFit and martial arts communities, and delivering product in his Volkswagen Jetta."},{"label":"What makes Kombuchade different from other kombucha","duration":"~4 minutes","summary":"Matt explains his design philosophy: lower carbonation, functional herbs and organic teas, mineral electrolytes, and a smooth flavor profile that athletes actually want to drink. The Gatorade-of-kombucha positioning."},{"label":"The science of fermentation and gut performance","duration":"~5 minutes","summary":"Matt dives into the building blocks of Kombuchade — the organic acids, vitamins, and probiotics produced by fermentation — and how each component contributes to gut health, inflammation reduction, and athletic performance."},{"label":"Building the Chicago manufacturing facility","duration":"~3 minutes","summary":"Matt describes the operational journey from shared kitchen to licensed wholesale food establishment to Kombuchade's own Chicago facility — and the same SCOBY culture maintained throughout."},{"label":"The 100,000-person mission and $100M target","duration":"~3 minutes","summary":"Matt articulates his company's mission and revenue ambitions, and discusses what scaling Kombuchade while maintaining product integrity and values looks like in practice."},{"label":"Closing and how to find Kombuchade","duration":"~2 minutes","summary":"Sophia closes the segment with Matt, directing viewers to kombuchade.com and discussing what the future of gut health for athletes and active humans looks like."}],"images":[{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/guest-profiles/matt-lancor/1777329780459-b53f2bc4809c-headshot-1777329780459.jpeg","label":"authority_portrait","description":"","type":"authority_portrait"},{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/announcement-cards/1782467453719-40885c3e4ade-matt-lancor-announcement-0964c5d7.png","label":"Announcement card","description":"Pre-show shareable graphic generated by the Authority Page Builder.","type":"announcement_card"},{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/story-plates/1782467461717-d02a37c2441b-matt-lancor-plate-1-38b0711d.png","label":"Gut health as the hidden variable in athletic performance","description":"","type":"story"},{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/story-plates/1782467477576-de015a6cd286-matt-lancor-plate-2-8a0639a7.png","label":"Inside the food manufacturing system: what Matt saw","description":"","type":"story"},{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/story-plates/1782467494954-40d13303799a-matt-lancor-plate-3-fa96935b.png","label":"Calling vs. career: the spiritual conviction behind Kombuchade","description":"","type":"story"},{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/story-plates/1782467522156-f3c5bc38372e-matt-lancor-plate-4-3893a1eb.png","label":"From mom's kitchen to Chicago manufacturing","description":"","type":"story"},{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/story-plates/1782467540465-f453e1ec5cff-matt-lancor-plate-5-f558abbc.png","label":"Product integrity: ten years, one SCOBY","description":"","type":"story"},{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/story-plates/1782467558207-091bfb73da69-matt-lancor-plate-6-7d1ead37.png","label":"The 100,000-person gut health mission","description":"","type":"story"},{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/story-plates/1782467575247-e0f466e3cb13-matt-lancor-plate-7-f7f935d4.png","label":"Designing the athlete-oriented kombucha gap","description":"","type":"story"},{"url":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/story-plates/1782467594156-c32d5d906597-matt-lancor-plate-8-e8205e5f.png","label":"Elite athlete origins of the Kombuchade formula","description":"","type":"story"}],"livingPortrait":"https://pub-176ab0b7668b46259a6c72d4ad146d40.r2.dev/transitions/1782467481349-e8e6ca200887-veo-1782467481349.mp4","heroVideo":"","heroPoster":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pVcCSKyWRUI/maxresdefault.jpg","storyVideo":"","mediaKit":"","sourceUrl":"https://guestengine.live/profile/matt-lancor","publishedAt":"2026-04-27T22:43:03.615Z","publicationStatus":"published","canonicalUrl":"https://mornings.network/shows/center-stage/guests/matt-lancor","verifiedVideos":[{"status":"available","videoId":"pVcCSKyWRUI","title":"Matt Lancor: He Left a $150K Engineering Career to Brew Kombucha in His Mom's Kitchen","channel":"Mornings in the Lab with Keith, Jon & Friends LIVE","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/@MorningsintheLab","thumbnail":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pVcCSKyWRUI/hqdefault.jpg","verifiedAt":"2026-10-04T00:40:25.813822+00:00","evidence":"https://www.youtube.com/oembed?format=json&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVcCSKyWRUI"}]}