Welcome to a world of edible alchemy, where the age-old preservation technique of lacto-fermentation is alive and well. Where fresh vegetables transform throughout the seasons into tangy sauerkrauts, crunchy pickles, and spicy kimchis. It’s a place where sweet teas ferment into sparkling kombucha and seasonal produce is preserved for the weeks and months ahead through the creative art of fermentation.

Dave and Carly Dougherty, the husband and wife team behind Food and Ferments, fell in love with fermentation soon after they met while working together at A Full Plate Cafe in Philadelphia. With roots in farming and food, theirs was a path that quickly led to quarts of sauerkraut and gallons of kombucha fermenting in all corners of their Powelton Village apartment. Their love affair with all things sour hasn’t stopped since. In 2012 they launched Food and Ferments, and became one of the first companies in Philadelphia to offer a wide range of naturally fermented food and drinks.

In the fall of 2014, Food and Ferments relocated to central New York, building a kitchen at Twin Oaks Dairy- an operational organic farm still run by Carly’s family- complete with fertile land, wooded forests, and breathtaking views. They now make their ferments atop a hill on the farm, surrounded by family, pasturing cows, and the occasional visitor. Their vision is one of a hybrid life–days spent shredding cabbage and culturing kombucha in the country, paired with weekends traveling to cities and local towns, selling goods to their fans spanning the east coast from Philadelphia to Upstate New York.

It is their hope that Food and Ferments can play a part in helping to renew and revitalize the time honored food tradition of fermentation, which promotes good health and celebrates culture, on both the microscopic and societal levels.