Kombucha brewery calculator: how many gallons a week to break even? Free, private

Your brewery

Total fermenter capacity, gallons (tank volume you can brew into, not the building)

Batch fill, % of tank capacity per brew

Days from brew to packaged product (first and second fermentation)

Turnaround days between batches (drain, clean, sanitise, new culture)

Batch loss, % of volume (dumped batches, lees, fill shrink, rejects)

Share of gallons sold wholesale (kegs and cases to stores and bars), %

Wholesale price per gallon, dollars

Taproom, growler or direct price per gallon, dollars

Card, platform and distributor fees, % of revenue

Returns, credits and spoiled product, % of revenue

Tea, sugar and culture per gallon, dollars

Flavouring and juice per gallon, dollars

Packaging per gallon (bottles, caps, labels, lost kegs), dollars

Delivery per gallon, dollars

Labour minutes per gallon (brew, flavour, fill, clean, pack)

Hourly labour cost, dollars

Rent per month, dollars

Chiller and cold-room power, kilowatts total

Chiller hours per day

Electricity price, dollars per kWh

Pumps, heating and packaging line, % of chiller energy

Water, sewer and other utilities per month, dollars

Manager or your own draw per month, dollars

Insurance per year, dollars

Other fixed costs per month (software, lab testing, marketing), dollars

Fit-out per gallon of tank capacity (floor drains, plumbing, electrical), dollars

Equipment total (fermenters, kegs, filler, chillers, sensors), dollars

Launch cost: licences, legal, labels, first marketing, dollars

Lease deposit, months of rent

Contingency on fit-out, equipment and launch, %

Production in month 1, % of full output

Months to reach full production

Loan as % of startup cost (0 for all cash)

Loan interest rate, %

Loan term, years

Target operating margin, %

Fill in your brewery, then click Work out the brewery. Growing area, plants per square foot, days to harvest and a price are required; the rest default to zero or the neutral choice.

Result

If output runs above or below plan

Versus plan	Gallons per month	Profit per month	Margin	Cash after loan

If you charge more or less

Price change	Profit per month	Margin	Cash after loan

If electricity costs more or less

Power price change	Profit per month	Cash after loan

Year by year, first five years

Year	Operating profit	Cash after loan

What it does, and what it leaves to you

Output: tank capacity × batch fill × batches a year (365 ÷ days per batch plus turnaround) × (1 − batch loss) = gallons a year.
Revenue: gallons × the blend of your wholesale and taproom or direct prices, less fees and returns as a share of revenue.
Per-gallon cost: tea, sugar and culture, flavouring, packaging, delivery, and labour minutes at your hourly cost. Fixed: rent, chilling (kilowatts × hours × 30 × price) plus pumps, heating and packaging line as a share of that, water and utilities, manager, insurance and other costs.
Startup: fit-out per gallon of tank capacity, equipment, deposit, launch and contingency. The loan is a share of that on level payments. Ramp-up runs sixty months with output climbing in a straight line from the month-1 figure; payback is the first month cumulative cash covers your equity.
Not decided: whether you can sell every gallon at your price; batch-loss and quality risk; food-safety, licensing, alcohol-content testing, labelling, zoning and power-capacity rules (kombucha that tests above 0.5% alcohol by volume is regulated as an alcoholic beverage); distributor terms; income tax and depreciation; and what a lender will offer.

Common questions

How much profit does a kombucha brewery make?

It depends on how many gallons your tanks turn out, what you sell them for by channel, and what packaging, labour and rent cost. Enter your own figures; the page works out revenue after fees, per-gallon costs, fixed costs, monthly profit and margin at full production.

How many gallons of kombucha can a fermenter make a year?

Tank capacity times fill percentage times batches per year, less batch loss. Enter your own capacity, fill, days per batch, turnaround and loss; the page shows gallons a week and a month, and does not assume a benchmark.

How many gallons a week do I need to sell to break even?

Two figures are shown: gallons a month that cover operating costs, and the higher number that also covers the loan. Both are exact for your inputs, because profit rises by a fixed amount for each gallon sold.

What does it cost to run the chillers and cold room?

Chiller kilowatts times hours a day times thirty days times your electricity price, plus a share for pumps, heating and the packaging line. A power-price table shows what a 25 percent rise or cut does to monthly profit.

Does this tell me whether a brewery will succeed?

No. It works only from your figures. It does not know whether you can sell every gallon, what buyers near you pay, or how your batches will perform. Check your buyers, food-safety licensing, alcohol-content testing and labelling rules, zoning and power capacity first.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent; a test in the code asserts there are no network calls.