Meet Holly Lyman.  Holly operates her fascinating and unique business:  Wild Tonic’

Please tell us about what you do in Sedona.
A: I am a fermenter of a brand called Wild Tonic which is a Jun Kombucha, it is a rare cousin of Kombucha made with honey and green tea, as opposed to sugar and black tea. It’s just a very effervescent, almost champagne-like health beverage that is filled with probiotics and all kinds of good things for the body.

Please tell us about your new line that’s in a can.
A: A lot of the millennial and younger folks who wanna go hiking or go to the beach or go to a sports event, they prefer to carry their Kombucha in a can as opposed to a glass container because it’s a lot lighter and it’s very environmentally friendly because it can be recycled. So we decided to cater to that audience.

Please tell us about the alcohol and non-alcohol versions of Wild Tonic.
A: We actually make a non-alcohol version of Wild Tonic and an alcohol version of Wild Tonic. Non-alcohol can be enjoyed by all ages, whereas alcohol is 5.6% much like a beer. It can be found at whole foods markets across the country.

Q: What inspired you or led you to do what you do?
A: That’s a fun story. I was making art painting with beeswax of all things, that’s an art form called encaustic. One passion with the bees led me to another, and then I started fermenting with honey and discovered this rare culture. That’s a very ancient culture called Jun and just fell in love with it and decided that was gonna be my new art form, liquid art. I started brewing day in and day out for many years, ha-ha.

Q: And where did you start this?
A: Started it in a little town in Eastern Washington called Moses Lake. That’s where I came up with the original formulation and then came on vacation to Sedona, fell in love with Sedona, and decided that’s where the brewery had to be.

A: How long have you lived here in Sedona?
A: I have been here since 2015.

Q: Where is your brewery?
A:  The brewery is actually in Cottonwood and it’s about 25 minutes out of Sedona. It was one of the few spaces in the area where you could actually produce things in an industrial-type environment and then ship it nationwide. Sedona doesn’t really have the zoning for that, but Cottonwood did.

Q: How many employees do you have?
A: At any point in time, usually around 40 employees and they’re all around the country. We have about 30 employees in Cottonwood, the production here, and about 10 employees who work remotely in different parts of the country in our sales force.

Q: What one trait do you contribute to your success?
A: I would say thinking outside of the box and creativity. Those are the things that I bring to the brewery as the founder, it’s really the creative vision and bringing something to the planet that helps people stay healthier and helps the planet stay healthier because all of the ingredients that we use are organic and very consciously sourced. I think that more businesses just need to get on that program.

Q: What is one thing that keeps you motivated?
A: I would say my desire is to ultimately have a foundation that helps the pollinators and the bees and the butterflies and all the insects out there, especially the bees that have been impacted by industrialization. The pollinators are something that I think people underestimate, they say like 3 out of 4 bites of food that we eat are impacted by the pollinators, their food has to be pollinated. The fact that they’re becoming extinct at such an alarming rate and being affected by pesticides and by all sorts of GMO crops, the things that humans do to make food more convenient, that’s a problem. I think that there needs to be a lot more money and research donated and dedicated to funding programs that really support our pollinators around the planet.

Q: What bit of advice would you give someone that came to you and said anything you can tell me that could help me move on with my life?
A: I would say wake up every day and do what inspires you. Figure out what you’re particularly good at in life and what you love doing and make your passion your business because I think that success is really a by-product of doing what you love, whether it’s a financial success or just internal happiness.

Q: What would your best friends say about you?
A: That I have a good sense of humor once you get to know me and that I’m always very direct and straightforward and that I’m very creative. Those qualities probably define me pretty well.

Q: What’s your favorite restaurant in Sedona?
A: I would have to say that would probably be Elote. I like the creativity that Jeff puts into his dishes there.

Q: If you could choose anyone (dead or alive) with whom would you love to have lunch? Why?
A: I would have to say probably the Dalai Lama because I just enjoy being in the presence of people who are that wise and that evolved.

Q: When people come to visit, where do you take them?
A: I take them hiking because there are so many fabulous hikes around here. Also to Oak Creek and Crescent Moon Ranch are beautiful places to visit.

Q: What’s your favorite thing or something unique about yourself?
A: I love ancient beads, that’s an art and I love painting. I paint watercolors in my spare time and also do a lot of ancient beading. I love ancient beads because they’re one of the first art forms out there. And if you think about all the generations of people that wore them prior to you, they all carry certain energy about them. And they’re all made of natural stones, minerals, or things that carry an energy of their own. I would also say that’s something most people don’t know about me.

Q: Where do you find ancient beads?
A: Typically at auctions around the country. Or online auctions or private collectors who know what they’re looking at and sell them.

Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met in Sedona?
A: That would have to be Terry Frankel, ha-ha, there is no doubt!

Q: What three words do you think of when you think about the word “home”?
A: Nature, Bliss, and Gratitude. Those are the three words that I associate with my home. It’s always a place that makes me blissful and that I’m grateful for and that is surrounded by nature.

Q: Is there anything I haven’t asked you that you’d like someone to know about you?
A: No, because I’m a hermit, ha-ha.