Our Story

The Happy Gut company was started in 2017 after Founder Leeza Zurwick received a gift of water kefir grains and struggled to find the proper supplies and information needed to make the drink with confidence. She quickly learned that fermentation is a natural process affected by many factors and continued to experiment with ways to stabilize it. She collaborated with a professional microbiologist and an experienced brewer to perfect the Happy Gut Method and is now the largest producer of water kefir grains in Canada. We are confident that you can be a successful brewer using our method.

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We are committed to employing as many young adults with disabilities as possible.

Happy Gut is proud to be a social enterprise that hires people with disabilities. We partner with the Employ Me! Program, part of Kootenay Society For Community Living. Leeza, the Founder of Happy Gut, worked in Special Education in schools for 24 years before starting Happy Gut. One of her most important assignments was to take disabled students into the community for work experience. The students loved it, but often, once they graduated they had a hard time finding employment. Many of these young people would love the opportunity for a job, but struggle to find one. Once they start working with us, they often gain a sense of self-worth and happiness. They’re also exposed to the benefits of probiotics, gut health and better eating habits. They are capable of many tasks in our operation and we work together closely to develop new skills .

We believe food is medicine, and that a healthy life begins with a healthy microbiome.