Springs Culture was born from survival. In 2009, founder Janie Otero had just turned 40 when sudden torso pain led to an eight-hour surgery that uncovered peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Thirteen tumors were removed, followed by heated chemotherapy poured directly into her abdomen—treatment so extreme it nearly ended her life. In the ICU, unsure she’d make it back, she called the chaplain.

Recovery changed everything. Janie returned to a familiar ’90s ritual: brewing kombucha in simple glass jars with a SCOBY. The practice grounded her. Healing became experimenting, then sharing, then teaching. She began hosting workshops on how to brew kombucha at home. When students couldn’t duplicate her results and asked to buy hers instead, the next step revealed itself.

Springs Culture wasn’t engineered—it emerged. Out of trauma, rebuilding, and a promise that if she got to keep living, she’d live with purpose. In a refurbished warehouse beneath Pikes Peak, Janie created a space filled with fermentation tanks, bold flavors, and her own art on lime-green walls. What began as survival became a craft, and then a company shaped by grit, intuition, and a refusal to waste the second chance she fought for.

That’s the root of Springs Culture: a life reclaimed and turned into something alive, effervescent, and shared.