Happy Gut Sanctuary, Rochester-based kombucha producer, moving to High Falls

Happy Gut is moving from its home in the Hungerford Building to Mill Street in Rochester's High Falls neighborhood.

For a business so intent on creating and fostering community, the owners of Happy Gut Sanctuary hope they’ve finally found their home.

Catt Hsu and Rob Heffner, the long-time couple and proprietors behind Happy Gut, intentionally sought to create a space that is a sanctuary. It’s a refuge of sorts. Of course, it’s still a taproom, a place to sample Rob’s latest non-alcoholic tea-based ferments, but it’s also a welcoming spot to relax, unwind, and connect.

But the current spot inside the massive and historic Hungerford Building, 1115 E. Main St. in the city of Rochester, is losing a bit of its sanctuary-like atmosphere. So Catt and Rob are in the process of relocating Happy Gut to a new spot in the city’s High Falls neighborhood.

The goal is to be open at the former Fina’s Cafe, 229 Mill St., by fall. Catt and Rob, who initially opened the business in 2018 at a spot on Park Ave., hope this will be Happy Gut’s forever home. Expect a fresh coat of white paint inside to mirror the same feel of the Hungerford space.

And as Asian Americans, both Catt and Rob said they’ve experienced being outsiders. So the goal of Happy Gut is to create a space that showcases their cultures and delivers a welcoming environment for all.

“I was born in Taiwan and I have that experience,” Catt said. “And then growing up here, I have that experience as an Asian American. Being from Taiwan and it being a tiny island that most people haven’t heard of or people thinking you’re Chinese, it’s tough, because there are massive cultural differences. It’s important now that I have my own business that I bring some of my cultural background into it. And Rob is doing that, too, because he’s half Korean.

“If I am doing something that’s Taiwanese, I want to make sure it’s done well and done authentically.”

Happy Gut even provided a space for NAMI Rochester’s mental health open mic nights for about a year.

“Our philosophy is creating a welcoming and inclusive space,” Catt said. “We want to invite people to feel comfortable enough to try something they might not have ever tasted. Keeping in mind that it’s something new, you might not like it and it’s OK if you don’t like it. There is never any pressure here.”

Rob’s ferments are a way to do that. (Aside: Make sure you ask Rob about his break-dancing past.) He noted that many modern kombuchas are focused on the second fermentation and additives. Or as he puts it, “They’ll get a really cheap black tea, do a large batch of it, and then they’ll do the flavoring with the second ferment. That’s where they’ll add all the fruits and stuff. We only do the primary ferment and we focus on the tea itself. Every flavor profile that comes out is from a specialty or ceremonial-grade tea. There is no added flavor.”

The approach is based on Catt’s upbringing in Taiwan. “I grew up drinking really good tea, no matter where I was,” she said. They source most of their teas locally from Happy Earth Tea in the South Wedge. “I want the tea to be the focal point.”

They’ve expanded beyond just kombucha, too, and now partner with a number of local businesses for baked goodies, coffee (produced locally by Aporia Coffee Co.), and other items that can be enjoyed in the taproom. “Coffee is still my first love and passion,” Catt said. (They’ve even started to ferment coffee.) And recently, Catt has been making some wildly unique ice creams.

In the new spot, they’re hooking up with Roc City Ramen to operate the kitchen, at least temporarily. The menu remains undecided, but it makes a lot of sense since the new space offers a full kitchen.

The seeds of Happy Gut

Catt and Rob first met while they were both studying at RIT. And the story of Happy Gut actually starts with trying to make Rob’s gut happy (or at least settle his stomach). A medical condition started to upset his gastrointestinal tract, so Catt began experimenting.

“It came about because of his gut actually,” Catt said with a snicker. “Basically, the doctor was like, you take Imodium for the rest of your life. That wasn’t ideal. It didn’t solve any of the issues. So I started looking into fermented foods. My mom had lung cancer and she dealt with it how she dealt with it, going to the doctors, getting chemo, but she also completely changed up her diet to take that burden off her body. In the back of my head, there is always that connection of what you eat will manifest itself.”

She explored things like kombucha, kimchi, sourdough, and kefir,. As she put it, “I went down a pretty massive rabbit hole. It went from little jars that would sit on our kitchen counter to bigger and bigger jars. At that point, I was making it for him to drink and then we started sharing it with friends and I was bringing it to work to get more opinions.”

They were making 20 gallons of kombucha or other tea ferments as homebrewers and getting quality feedback. That got them thinking, ‘What if we made this into a business?’ So they did. Coming from a background in coffee, Catt knew she wanted to operate a “front-facing business” and focus less on wholesale and distribution.

“I wanted to meet the customers and talk to them,” she said.

They started on Park Ave. (near Meigs Street) and then moved to the Hungerford in the middle of the pandemic. They’ve been at the Hungerford for nearly three years now.

“This all happened because we were trying to make Rob feel better,” Catt said.

And through the guidance of other local small business owners, Rob and Catt found the High Falls space. They’re currently working on clearing it out. They hope to be part of an emerging arts and makers community in High Falls, envisioning block parties and other fun partnerships in the future. Despite all the moves and uncertainty, the business has continued to grow.

“We’re really excited,” Rob said. “We love building things.”

“That’s what I’ve always wanted, to be part of these communities putting things on,” Catt said. “This neighborhood is beautiful. Once the bridge is done (the neighboring Pont du Rennes walking bridge is closed till next year for renovations) and the state park (under construction in the High Falls gorge), it’s gonna be awesome.

“I am hoping this is our long-term home.”

If you wanna help Happy Gut move and secure its future, please consider donating to its GoFundMe. (And yes, you should donate. We all should. We should all value community and make sure inclusive spaces always have a home in Rochester.)

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