Help The Fermentation Station Grow

Our Story 

Hey! We are Amy & Sam the faces behind The Fermentation Station - an authentic fermented food and drinks producer based in Liverpool

The Fermentation Station grew out of a real passion for food, the community it creates, the traditions it harbours, and the cultures it engages. Wherever there’s love, there’s food, and the festive tradition of making homemade hampers for our loved ones, grew into experimenting with new products and recipes. 

Creating and cultivating ferments is like adding an extra loved one, our products are alive, they need attention, and they take time. The 2020 pandemic and subsequent lockdown/furlough allowed us the time to experiment with fermented food and drinks and fully harness our brand concept. Before we knew it The Fermentation Station went from a part of our sideboard at home to a business, a brand identity and we’d moved it into a vacant two-bedroom bungalow. Our fermenters grew from 1L jars to100L fermenters and 50L Korean fermenting buckets.

We are a simple unpretentious team obsessed with all things ferments and that sums up our mission, removing the pomposity of fermentation and helping make it accessible to everyone. We believe in showcasing the diversity of fermented foods through traditional and sustainable methods. Educating, inspiring and connecting communities to create positive health outcomes and food waste solutions.

What is Fermentation? How are we different?

Fermentation is an ancient technique of preserving foods. Today we see fermentation in products such as cheese, yoghurt, kombucha, sauerkraut. Essentially fermentation is the natural process of microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria converting carbohydrates - such as starch and sugars - into alcohol and acid. The alcohol and acid act as a preservative agent in ferments. The process of fermentation promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria, known as probiotics.

The purpose of The Fermentation Station was to create authentic, unique and probiotic ferments that are focused on sustainability. We have six core products that we produce and ferment all year round. However the majority of our ferments are seasonally focused. We work closely with local farmers, producers and green grocers on what fruit and vegetables are currently in the British season, and using those ingredients we create unique and diverse ferments that are preserved for future seasons to come.

We are especially keen to reduce food waste through fermentation. Using fermentation and pickling are methods to make fresh food last longer, reducing food waste and giving food a second life. Our spring Leek, Lemon & Samphire Sauerkraut used 'waste' Leeks from Claremont Farm, our summer Fermented Salsa used bruised tomatoes from Adams Apples, and our Fermented Mustard uses waste Sauerkraut brine and a waste product from wine making Verjus.

Whilst alternative fermenters are choosing to pasteurise their products or use inauthentic substrates to speed up their ferments, we have a 'Probiotic Pledge' ensuring that every product that leaves our kitchen will be packed with Live Bacterial Goodness. We are committed to leaving as little environmental impact on our planet, that's not only why we work seasonally but also work hard to ensure that our packaging is recyclable and/or compostable.

Where we are now and where are we going

Since our launch in November 2020 we've been working from a domestic premises on the Wirral. We were fortunate to have complete access to a two bedroom bungalow, which was the perfect home to get The Fermentation Station off the ground. But soon our small business took up every room of the house. 

Since our launch we have sold over 1000 jars of our Bread & Butter Pickles, over 500 jars of our Traditional Kimchi, and an amazing 2000 bottles of Kombucha. We have stockists up and down the country, including The Artesian Bar, in The Langham Hotel, a rather exclusive location to find our ferments. In September 2021, having only been trading for 10 months we won The Great Taste Awards, receiving one star for our Tepache, and an outstanding two stars for our Bread & Butter Pickles. Additionally we are currently being showcased on digital screens across Merseyside after being given the opportunity from the BIPC.

We very quickly outgrew our first home and by May 2021 we began the search for a long-term and permanent home. It took five properties, many stressful conversations with agents and solicitors and reviewing plenty of legal paperwork to finally find THE ONE! We are thrilled that we will soon be a part of the community at the historic Matchworks Building, in Speke, South Liverpool. 

Our new home offers the greatest opportunity for us to grow, including adding to our team. Not only can we create bigger batches of ferments but to continue our passion for fighting food waste, raising awareness of gut health and creating a greater community around our workshops & educational classes - to us, supporting and involving the local community is so important. 

But we need a little help getting there. In order to make this the best version of the space possible we are crowdfunding. We need a little support in fitting our space out. We've already upgraded a lot of our equipment to prepare for scaling up production, the money raised from our crowdfunder is solely dedicated to the set-up of what we dream with be an all encompassing new home for TFS. 

Our Dream Floorplan 

The Rewards 

We wanted to ensure that our rewards embodied the community and collaborative spirit at TFS, something we are keen to continue and grow in our new unit. We are working closely with a number of other local, small and independent businesses across Liverpool to bring you exclusive Crowdfunder rewards.

Including: 

• A TFS Crowdfunder Exclusive Limited Run of Large Ceramic Mugs with RMO Studios 
• Six Bottles of Coffee Kombucha with Neighbourhood Coffee
• Six Pack of Collaborative Beer with Black Lodge Brewery
• Liverpool Foodie Picnic Tote Bag, everything you would need for a picnic in the park this summer, including collaborations with - Plattsville Bakehouse, Jostle Bakers and Legs Wine. Tote Designed by the wonderful team at Living Vicariously

The Crowdfunder also allows us to develop and launch a products we've been working hard on at The Fermentation Station. We are thrilled to announce our secret plans for our at home fermentation subscription "Ferment-It"and our Children's Book "Adventures of the Bean". 

"Ferment-It" is a monthly letterbox subscription which gives you access to all the necessary knowledge, ingredients, equipment and instructions to make 1L of your own diverse and delicious Kombucha every month. In your first box you'll receive your very own Organic SCOBY and a Tea Egg, alongside fine quality tea, sugar and an instructional postcard & video. You can expect flavours to change every month, and tips & tricks to make the most out of your Kombucha and maintain your living SCOBY.

The art of fermentation is accessible to all and it is the perfect activity to teach children about the importance of reducing food waste and eating seasonally. That's why we are extremely happy and pleased with our new book "The Fermentation Station: Adventures of The Bean". The story focuses on an adventure of TFS's Head of Happiness The Bean, going on a secret adventure across the Wirral landscape. Featuring landmarks such as Claremont Farm, where she comes across some waste vegetables, and includes a child friendly recipe. The artwork is by the outstanding Ollie at Living Vicariously. Our first book is exclusive to our Crowdfunder and will be hand signed with a personalised message from the TFS Team including Bean.

The new TFS Kitchen is a community and collaborative space, and we wish to open it up as a co-working space. We never want you to feel like you've outstayed our welcome, so why not become a member of our co-working space. We aim for the new space to be purpose-driven, creating a home away from home, where you can sit with us at our kitchen table and watch us work our fermentation magic. Our two membership options comes with a free batch brew coffee or tea of your choice during your visit and 10% off food in-house, so you can stay with us all day, use the internet and just settle in. Become a part of the TFS community. 

Thank you for watching, reading, pledging and the continued support!