200 to 70K followers: what six years running social for Umami Brew taught us about D2C
How a craft kombucha brand went from 200 to 70K followers in nine months, and the lessons from a six-year partnership across Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Umami Brew makes sparkling kombucha in flavours like Kokum Ginger, Coffee Orange and Pineapple Spice. When we took over the brand's social presence in 2018, it had 200 followers and a product most Indian consumers had never tasted. Nine months later it had 70,000, and we ran the account for the next six years. Here is what worked.
Educate before you sell
Kombucha needed explaining. Our most consistent content format was the simplest: put simply, kombucha is fizzy tea, with the low sugar, low calorie and gut-friendly facts underneath. Every new product category has this problem. Until people understand what the thing is, they will not buy it, no matter how good the photography looks.
Give people a reason to want it today
The second pillar was occasion. Pairs well with a Mediterranean brunch. Pairs well with European cuisines and American comfort food. Summer essentials. Bundle it up. Each post answered a question the buyer had not asked yet: when would I actually drink this? That turned curiosity into orders.
Tasting notes as content
For each flavour we published nose, palate and finish, the way a wine label would. Kokum Ginger: floral and tangy, tart kokum with honeysuckle sweetness, a peppery ginger finish. It positioned a Rs 100 bottle as a craft product, and it gave the community language to talk about the brand.
What nine months to 70K looked like
- Daily publishing on Instagram, with Facebook and YouTube carrying longer product and process content.
- Product photography kept to one clean style so the feed read as a single brand.
- Every comment answered, and every customer photo reposted with credit.
- Launches and bundles timed to seasons and festivals, so there was always something new to say.
Why the partnership lasted six years
Fast growth is common; sustained growth is rare. The account kept working because the system did not depend on any one campaign. The content pillars, the visual style and the community routine stayed constant while the products and occasions changed. That consistency is what turns a following into a customer base, and it is the same approach we bring to every D2C brand we work with.