We don’t believe in adding laboratory created probiotics to our fermented foods. Instead, we choose wild fermentation practices which give our kraut and kimchi a naturally occurring community of lactic acid bacteria (probiotics). This traditional, all-natural fermentation practice is a ‘nature knows best’ approach to fermentation. All our Kefir drinks use a water kefir SCOBY culture that we have nurtured for years.

Wild Fermentation is the spontaneous fermentation initiated only by organisms naturally present on the ingredients. At TWF we harness the naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria on our local vegetables to make kraut and kimchi because microbial cultures exist as communities and the process of isolating strains disrupts the natural harmony of the community and reduces both diversity and flavour.

Wild cultures from wild fermentation encourage wider biodiversity within our gut. Just like the wider ecosystem, which benefits from greater diversity, so does our own internal ecosystem. Live, cultured foods from wild fermentation serve up more than just ‘bacterial count’. They carry a community of beneficial probiotic bacteria directly to our digestive systems, where they help to replenish and diversify our microbiota. And this ‘array’ of bacteria plays such a fundamental part in our health and wellbeing.

No. Your order will be dispatched directly from our Fermentary chiller via NZ Post Couriers. It will not be chilled on route so will need to go straight into your refrigerator upon delivery. This short delivery window (North Island 1-2 days, South Island 2-3 days) will not affect food safety or the quality of the product in any way. Just remember to open your kraut / kimchi over a bowl in case it’s warmed up on its journey to you and starts fermenting again, sometimes making it active. This way you can catch the juice and pour it back into the jar to keep it lovely and juicy.

No, our kimchi and kraut are not certified organic, but we are happy to report cabbage, carrot, onion and pineapple are all on the ‘Clean 16’ list*. We source 90% of our fresh ingredients from responsible local growers within a 40km radius from our Fermentary to reduce food miles; and grow many of our wild edibles in our organic Fermentary garden, using our own compost system developed in conjunction with our home farm.

* EWG's 2025 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce | Clean Fifteen

No, never! We get all the flavour we need from natural wild fermentation practices, with a small amount of sustainable NZ sea salt to keep the fermentation on track. To us, vinegar would feel like cheating… and the jury is still out on whether vinegar is harmful to the probiotics – certainly in large doses vinegar would be counterproductive to the gut-loving lactic acid bacteria and stop fermentation. 

Mostly. All our Kefir Soda is made with water kefir cultures and completely dairy-free and 100% plant based. The only Kefir Soda containing gluten is our Lime Cola (barley). All the other flavours in our Kefir Soda range are gluten-free. If you have any allergies or coeliac disease, always check the ingredient list and follow the advice of your health professional.

Yes. All of our kraut and kimchi is 100% plant-based with no animal-derived ingredients and no gluten containing grains in any of our recipes so they are suitable for most vegan and gluten-free diets.

No, we would never pasteurise as heating fermented foods can kill the good bacteria. That is why you’ll always find our products in the fridge. Because they’re unpasteurised they need to be kept cold to slow the fermentation down. If you leave one of our ferments in a warm environment there’s a good chance it may become lively – open with care! We always recommend opening your kraut / kimchi over a bowl in case it’s active. This way you can catch the juice and pour it back into the jar.

No, your kraut / kimchi / kefir shouldn’t explode upon opening - provided you’ve been keeping it cool in the fridge - but sometimes you may get a lively batch. Normally the bacteria will ferment much more slowly in the fridge and come alive again in your gut. However occasionally the microbes will get busy fermenting again which creates a build-up of gas in the jar or bottle (remember microbes’ breath just like us, releasing CO2). When you crack the lid and release the gas you may hear a pop or see the contents rush out to greet you. Welcome to living food.

Fermented kraut and kimchi have a sour tangy flavour and often have a strong smell. On opening for the first time, it would be most unusual for a kraut or kimchi to not be perfect as the lactic acid bacteria keep the pH low so pathogenic bacteria cannot survive. If you have any concerns about a jar of TWF kraut or kimchi, please contact us hello@thewildfermentary.co.nz  

If your jar of goodness is fizzy when you open it, it’s a sign further fermentation has occurred post-jarring. The fizz is attributed to a build-up of trapped CO2 (remember the microbes are alive and breathe out CO2 just like us). Fizz is nothing to worry about and will quickly dissipate. Just leave your jar open on the bench for a little while and your kraut / kimchi will be back to normal. 

Absolutely! The kimchi / kraut juice is packed with flavour, nutrition and lactic acid bacteria (aka probiotics). Sip away or add to your next marinade or vinaigrette. Your gut will love you for it.

If you think of kimchi and kraut as a condiment (like a relish) you’ll soon discover you can add it to so many dishes to boost flavour and nutrition. A teaspoon or two on your salad, avocado toast or mixed into coleslaw will elevate it beyond belief. A toastie with kraut or kimchi is a real game-changer and kimchi with salmon or noodles is heavenly. Check out our recipe page for more ideas.

By eating a wide variety of live fermented foods, you promote microbial diversity in your body - something we can’t get through consuming mass-produced food, including yoghurts and fermented food using a lab grown starter culture. The research shows eating small amounts of a wide variety of bacteria and yeast, often, is helpful for good gut health. 

Yes. All our fermented products are literally alive with gut-loving lactic acid bacteria, so they need to be kept in the refrigerator. Being kept chilled preserves taste and texture by slowing down the fermentation process and ensures they do not become ‘active’ upon opening. All our products are food safe out of the fridge so don’t panic if you can’t keep them chilled for a short period of time, they will not go off out of the fridge! Just remember to open your kraut / kimchi over a bowl in case it’s active. This way you can catch the juice and pour it back into the jar.

Our refrigerated kraut and kimchi have a shelf life of 9 months – this is when they are at their absolute best – just check the bottom of your jar for the best before date. Our Kefir has a best before shelf-life of 6 months. After this date the Kefir will still be gut-lovingly good to drink, it may just not have as much flavour (the microbes will eventually consume all the flavour and colour over an extended period of time, but this is well past the BB date).

Kraut and kimchi should last well in your fridge and once opened should be delicious for a good 3-4 months before starting to get a little funky. If you don’t like the flavour of strong, funky kraut, try adding to your next casserole or stir-fry, yum! Just remember to use clean utensils every time you serve from the jar, so you don’t introduce any bad bacteria to your good ones. Your kefir can last opened in your fridge for a few weeks but will often loose fizz quickly once most of the contents has been consumed. You could always pop it on the kitchen bench for a day or two to reintroduce more fizz.