VN – 10 Oct, 2025

This week has been a journey backwards and forwards in time, fermentally (is that a word? It is now!) speaking. Before the pandemic, I ran a micro-enterprise called Goodness, making and selling raw chocolate and ferments in Brixton. The ferments evolved out of a collaboration Alkaline Juice Factory, a juice bar, vegan café, community hub, and spiritual home to many.

Following numerous alchemic conversations with David, Alkaline’s owner, I started fermenting raw, fruit vinegars from the waste skins of the juicing process – mango, pineapple, banana; plus, virgin coconut jelly. I sold them through the café: a truly circular production. I made coconut water kefir too, from their freshly cut coconut. I really loved the collective effort of them saving the waste fruit, and me turning it into something special. Like a community lab, with me taking various sample ferments for them to try before we settled on the vinegars and kefir.

These days, I ferment for myself, friends, and family. So, it was a blast to invite my Fermenting Cultures partner in crime, Kundai, to sample my 'vintage' ferments – coconut vinegar and date vinegar. Plus, for us to make some African inspired ferments together – rooibos kombucha and coconut water kefir. Kundai drank rooibos kombucha in South Africa, I’ve never tried it, so I’m excited to experiment. Kombucha is usual made with green or black tea. Using Rooibos, the South African tea, is an interesting alternative, as it is naturally caffeine free and has a smoky flavour. For the coconut water kefir, I got fresh coconut water from Brixton Market, expertly cut to order.

We'll be sharing the results of our experiments and recipes for coconut water kefir and rooibos kombucha as soon as they have fermented. So, watch this space!