Kombucha Archive
The Kombucha Archive is a material research project focused on producing experimental samples and educational resources for working with kombucha leather.
Developed as part of establishing the bio-materials lab at Kolding School of Design, the archive aims to provide practical guidance for students interested in producing, designing with, and working with kombucha leather—a biodegradable, non-toxic, and regenerative material.
The archive is organised into themed investigations, each represented by a card displaying a material sample on the front and detailing the process and materials on the back. With over 100 samples forming its foundation, the archive continues to grow through student contributions and is supported by instructional manuals and teaching materials for exploring kombucha leather’s vast potential in sustainable applications.
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Removing a newly formed SCOBY, after the kombucha fermentation process
What is Kombucha?
A kombucha culture is a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast (commonly called by the acronym SCOBY), a gelatinous, cellulose-based biofilm formed during the fermentation process when making Kombucha tea, found floating at the container's air-liquid interface.
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Sheet of dried kombucha leather with cotton yarn
What is Kombucha Leather?
A kombucha SCOBY, when harvested after the fermentation process and then dried, becomes a leather-like material, characterized by it’s strength, moldability and water retention.
Material Investigation
Experimentation was conducted across the different stages of drying kombucha leather to investigate it’s changing properties, with further inquiries spanning a number of themes such as surface aesthetics (texture, colour, finish), strengthening the material (adding fibres, layering material), and adapting its properties (thickness, water absorption, stickiness).
Parameters were set to maintain a 100% biodegradable, non-toxic material, along with the addition of predominantly organic materials or by-products such as wood dust, common reed flowers, and mash grains from beer brewing.
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Preparing kombucha leather samples for archiving
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Sheets of dried kombucha leather, with added dye and cotton yarns
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Harvesting a newly grown SCOBY
Kombucha Archive
The Kombucha Archive is a material research project focused on producing experimental samples and educational resources for working with kombucha leather.
Developed as part of establishing the bio-materials lab at Kolding School of Design, the archive aims to provide practical guidance for students interested in producing, designing with, and working with kombucha leather—a biodegradable, non-toxic, and regenerative material.
The archive is organised into themed investigations, each represented by a card displaying a material sample on the front and detailing the process and materials on the back. With over 100 samples forming its foundation, the archive continues to grow through student contributions and is supported by instructional manuals and teaching materials for exploring kombucha leather’s vast potential in sustainable applications.
All Images: Georgina Norris