Some people may have discovered kombucha only recently, but Anna Martinez has been making the drink commercially since 2015.

“It’s a fermented tea that is probiotic-rich. It helps with detoxifying. It is a healthy alternative to soda,” said Martinez, of Gary, who owns Anna’s Kombucha Cafe in Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood.

Here is the dish on this local establishment, which shares a building with 18th Street Brewery, where Martinez previously worked as a bartender, brewer and sales manager:

On the menu: Food by executive chef Allyssa McAley. The Hobart resident has worked as bakery associate team leader at Whole Foods Market in Schererville, kitchen manager at the Chicago Diner in Chicago and line cook at Shoreline Brewery in Michigan City.

Breakfast items include homemade granola and yogurt and a breakfast sandwich with hardwood smoked bacon, egg and cheddar while lunch fare includes the nicoise salad, Korean barbecue jackfruit sandwich and chicken club.

About the owner: “I started making kombucha at home. The next thing I knew people were wanting me to make it for them, and I was taking small orders. Social media definitely helped. I’ve been a bartender for the last 20-plus years. It was a natural progression,” Martinez said.

Anna’s Small Batch Kombucha, which she launched with partner Oscar Williams in 2015, has product at Acorn Acres Farm and Chesterton’s European Market in Chesterton, Fluid Coffeebar and Roots Organic Juice Cafe in Valparaiso, Sip Coffee House in Crown Point and Highland, SmartBelly Smoothie Co. in Crown Point, Windmill Brewing in Dyer, and several Chicagoland locations.

Martinez and her partner Williams opened Cultivated Culture Cafe in January 2018 but renamed it to Anna’s Kombucha Cafe a year later and moved it to its current, larger location in March.

A mission statement: “It’s really important for us to provide healthy, affordable, delicious, fresh food. Our main goal is to try and incorporate as many farmers and urban farmers in Gary as we can,” Martinez said.

Anna’s Kombucha Cafe sources chicken and vegetables from Laird Farms in Rensselaer, eggs from Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary and bread from Organic Bread of Heaven in Gary and has a plot at St. Mary of the Lake’s community garden in Gary, where items including tomatoes and herbs are grown.

Decor: “It’s peaceful. It’s definitely a little more private. We have lots of plants and greenery and a lot of natural lighting,” Martinez said.

Anna’s Kombucha Cafe seats 65 people. “We have large communal tables, little solo tables, little nooks and window seating,” she said.

Specialties: “The breakfast burrito is our No. 1 seller. It’s very homey. It’s comfort food. It’s something I would eat growing up. I decided to put it on the menu because it’s so simple and delicious,” said Martinez. “The grain bowl is a really good example of a healthy food option. There’s a brown rice base. There’s a lot of flavor that comes out. The fresh vegetables are grilled up with salt and pepper.”

We’re different because: Anna’s Kombucha Cafe is the home of Anna’s Small Batch Kombucha, which offers kombucha on tap, including ginger turmeric, raspberry green tea, ginger hibiscus, peach habanero, blueberry mint and lavender lemonade.

Prices: Start at $2 for hot drinks, $3 for specialty drinks, $3.25 for cold drinks, $5.25 for breakfast and $7.50 for lunch.

Logistics: Anna’s Kombucha Cafe is at 624 S. Lake St., Gary. Hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays and closed Mondays-Tuesdays. Call 219-487-5810 or go to www.annaskombucha.com.

Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.