Profile Essay --- Kris

“Kombucha Bob” Munley
Kombucha Tea Brewer, Astrologist, and a Communicator of Life Force on Earth
Clintonville, Ohio
Bob Munley brews a very popular fermented green tea called Kombucha, that sells off the shelves here in Columbus as fast as he can make it. Despite pressures from corporate businesses who want to supply his product on a large scale, he likes to keep his business small and manageable. Despite the potential for capital gains, it is obvious that he is not motivated by money, but fueled by his passion, rather. I expected the interview to be mostly about his brewing, but found that Bob’s interests are mostly spiritual, and I think this made the conversation all the better. My meeting with Bob Munley was very emotional, to say the least. One of his close friends had died unexpectedly in a car accident several nights before the interview, and he had a lot on his mind.

There is a science to life! That is why there is a higher power. God is the easiest word to take; universal force is my choice of words. Higher power, what rules the universe. Nothing is by accident. God works with synchronicity, there are no accidents.
About 150 of [my books] are astrology, which is a science of life on earth that I dismissed entirely until I was in my 1980’s period, until I was over 30 years old. I used to think that astrology - the first people who introduced me to astrology, were yes, hippies from California, who came to my New Jersey east coast head shop with loooong hair, and talking about brown rice, macrobiotics, diet, and astrology. I said “These guys have done too much bad acid.” And you know what? It took me ten years later to find out that some of those old hippies, ha ha ha! Now I know why the person who turned me on to astrology was 60 to my maybe 30 years old, back in 1979, a woman I met in Morristown, New Jersey. We met in this little health food store and she said, “You’re an interesting character! Could I do your astrology chart?” I was like, “Neeeeh!” This was my feeling about astrology through those 1960’s and 70’s. “I don’t believe in that shit.” Well do you mind, it will take me 15, 20 minutes. Well she did all the math, that the computers now do. She did all the math and stuff in less than half an hour, while I sat there, put the planets into the proper houses, and started telling me about myself. And I’m sitting there saying “OH my god! OH no no don’t say that! How do you know that? Oh! Oh!” And then after that I got a book, then a couple more books and started reading and saying, “This is unbelievable this stuff!” I graduated from the New York School of Astrology, and had a license here in Columbus, when I came here 15 years later as a licensed astrologer, and I say to you, astrology IS a science. And it can tell you all about your proclivities, your tendencies, the things that you can learn to succeed with on Earth. I’m missing the word there. The things that are your attributes – capabilities. Right, the things that you have to learn to deal with properly, and not fall, succumb to your incapabilities as far as the science of life on earth. I’ve done hundreds of charts, I do them for so many people now, still, and people are always in shock!
There are no yes-or-no answers to any questions asked of Bob. Personally, I am the communicator of life force on earth. My work, my profession now is chosen to be the creator of a magical - bad word, bad choice of words! A wonderful health drink called kombucha, which is a fermented green tea, available nationally, or internationally now at this stage, as it is becoming very popular around the world! Although it has been known in parts of the world for 2300 years! Kombucha is known to be kind of an acidic, strong tasting drink with great health benefits but not necessarily a great taste. I learned how to make kombucha that is pleasant tasting, besides having all of the health attributes of this drink. Health attributes being a loaded, raw, alive, unpasteurized green tea, or tea and sugar mixture containing extremely large amounts of vitamins and minerals, probiotics, antioxidants, digestive enzymes and amino acids, cleanser for the liver, and detoxifies the small and large intestine. Extremely rejuvenating because of its stimulating effect for the digestive metabolism of the body. It is at times considered a stimulant, but it is just a natural digestive enhancing drink.
I drink 3 or 4 pints a day, as much as that is, probably half a gallon a day. The only thing better for you on earth other than kombucha is clean, CLEAN water. People addicted to kombucha will not drink enough water, they drink too much kombucha! You have to remember to drink water too. The body is 76% water, it needs liquid. Kombucha is so stimulating, it makes people feel good. People don’t expect to feel good from it! Like I was telling you about the [Bexley] Chief of Police, he said “That’s legal? Natural? Organic? Home crafted in your case?” Because you know, you have that kombucha out there that’s made commercially now. That’s very very good for you also; it’s just that they try to reach the masses with the flavors and dilutions of true kombucha. I only started drinking kombucha seven years ago, my hair has grown back in places where it was getting scarce. Most of my hair has turned back, from white to black. Among its attributes, [kombucha] is a cure-all for cancer, many digestive diseases, it is raw, alive, unpasteurized. Therefore it is containing all the natural – people need things that are not killed by commercial heat, pasteurization processes and chemicals. Chemicals – NO good! Chemicals caused Bob the epileptic seizures! It took eliminating all of the chemicals from Bob’s diet to remove the tendencies towards neurological short circuiting. Imbalances, better word. Neurons firing! Uncontrollably! CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP! Hah! That was Bob clapping, claps from Bob. I’m thinking, “He’s recording this! This will be part of the future sir!”
I found kombucha to be necessary. A great addition to my life. It’s life giving properties are so impressive that I chose to make a few extra bottles the first time I made it, after I had been drinking it for three years and purchasing it from others. I made 18; I had 18 empty bottles that I previously bought kombucha in. I filled them with my own kombucha, and people asked, “Could I have one? Will you make more for me?” I gave some to the Co-Op, the Clintonville Community Market, and they said “Bob, we could sell this, can you make some more for us?” I said, “Wow, hah – yeah I love it, it’s good isn’t it? Sure, I’ll make some more, and I started making kombucha.” I turned – turned Columbus on to kombucha! I’ve given out – edit this - I’ve brewed 50,000 bottles, I’ve given out 5,000 samples of kombucha, and people say, “This stuff is OOH, AHHH, EEEE! Different! I like this! This tastes good! IS this making me feel good? Is this legal?” I say, is it illegal to feel good? You don’t need a license to feel good. It’s got no caffeine, no alcohol. I love it, it changes your life. It’s good for you.
I love the personal gratification that people give me for making this. I realized that it had a great potential for being marketed. This is before there were any marketed ones. GT Dave’s, the leading product, was not available in Ohio, no one had ever heard of it. It was in the past only brewed by local, kombucha home crafted beverage manufacturers, like I chose to do. I decided to make it and it grew incredibly with request, and I enjoyed - I enjoyed immensely - the satisfaction in people saying thank you, the stories that I could give you about its acceptability and its aiding in ill people, people with illnesses, old age, and medical problems, and their enhancement! 76 year old women, 18 year old kids who told that it made them feel good rather than drinking alcohol! I said, “This is good. This is good, people love me.” Because I look for social acceptance, I love people loving me, liking me, I enjoy the social acceptance and the enjoyment that I get and it’s the reaction that I get “Thank you Bob!” and its, Jesus Christ! Hahaha! Thank you Jesus! It needed a business forum, somewhat, to be brought out to the public. And I’m happy to say, I’m making as much kombucha as I can. A lot of people are leery of starting with it, you know? “It tastes weird! I don’t like this!” Second sip, “This isn’t bad, oh, I think my husband would like this, where can I get this?” Ehhh, so I said I’ll kept making more, and I kept selling and selling, and people looked for it then, then your friends and people, other stores, call up and say “We’re out of it! When are we going to have more?” They say it’s my responsibility! Hah, I gotta make more! It’s hard to keep up with! It’s above me, I can’t make as much as I can sell!
What I’m relating to you, is enhanced by Bob’s …acceptance of life, and yet is part of Bob’s dream, which has proven to be, in Bob’s life, very real to God’s call for Bob. What – how else can I say it? My art - that I read to you about from the [astrology] book - Bob’s art is, and my first teacher said “Your art is food, Bob. Saturn is in your fourth house, that’s home kitchen, home affairs, Saturn is the planet of challenge, you were meant to work in your kitchen and to provide, I guess for you for your nutrition, for your diagnosis of epilepsy, BOB YOUR ART IS FOOD AND NUTRITION!”
No accidents in life, we’re here for God, our higher purpose in life, another name for God. The sooner you find what you do, who you are comes back to you, manifest many times over. That’s what your life’s about and how you will achieve your happiness, not your success or material gain but happiness and love of life and being a part of that higher power, or God or force on earth, we are all God’s force on Earth here!
I insisted that Bob read a poem that he wrote to finish the interview.
Written by Robert Munley, Bob, in 1980…I am very proud of this. It is printed and hangs on my wall.
I am the witness…to all God’s might.
We can all be the witness, we can all choose...Light.
I am…made aware universe’s plan, God’s angle.
We are all made aware, we can all choose…or dangle.
We are all given ways to see, we can all choose to love or reject.
For love is ours, all, and meant to be.
The creative plan is…how our lives intersect.
Now it’s only in our accepting, in living out our part,
We can truly learn from this life, we can gain growth of the heart.
So then all in life has purpose, with all reason from above,
So then we are all free to choose, and we can all choose
LOVE.