Award-Winning Live Ferments

Full of Life.

Real food that heals you from the inside out.

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6
Award-Winning Ferments
4 yrs
Consecutive Good Food Awards
4-6 wks
Minimum Fermentation
0 plastic
In Fermentation or Packaging

The Ferments

Build a Pack

All of our krauts and kimchi have been recognized by the Good Food Foundation and won awards for 4 consecutive years, including a People’s Choice Award.

Apple + Hops

Sauerkraut

Apple + Hops

Our take on a classic Eastern European kraut. The most kid-friendly sauerkraut we make.

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Beet + Fennel

Sauerkraut

Beet + Fennel

Earthy and tangy with a warm anise finish. The most approachable kraut — kids love it.  

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Carrot + Cilantro + Jalapeño

Sauerkraut

Carrot + Cilantro + Jalapeño

Our version of a curtido. Bold garlic, onion, and jalapeño kick — not too spicy. A taco’s best friend.

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Chili Paste

SAUCE

Chili Paste

Fermented chili paste with depth, not just heat. Umami-rich, complex — the secret weapon your kitchen's been missing.

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Garlic + Ginger Kimchi

KRAUT-CHI

Garlic + Ginger Kimchi

German kraut technique meets Korean kimchi fire. A serious ginger kick, funky, garlicky, and lightly spicy — straight...

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Glow Sauce

SAUCE

Glow Sauce

The everything sauce. The smother sauce. That golden glow comes from fermented carrots — not turmeric. Lightly spicy,...

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Golden Beet + Dill

Sauerkraut

Golden Beet + Dill

Tastes like a kosher, sour dill jar — without the cucumbers. Garlic, dill, and a tangy kick. For all the fans of that...

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Juniper + Sage

Sauerkraut

Juniper + Sage

Woodsy, aromatic, deeply savory. Juniper and sage transform sauerkraut into something extraordinary.

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Turmeric + Ginger + Jalapeño

Sauerkraut

Turmeric + Ginger + Jalapeño

Fermented Sauerkraut with fresh turmeric root — that brilliant golden color is the real thing. Warming ginger and a s...

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Why We Ferment

Fermented foods are full of life. Literally.

If we're truly connected with our bodies, we genuinely crave fermented foods for a reason. They're teeming with beneficial microorganisms essential to a healthy microbiome. Sauerkraut and kimchi contain some of the highest levels of naturally occurring probiotics of any food on the planet. This isn't a trend — it's a re-awakening of our roots.

The Science

Your Gut Is a Garden

Your gut microbiome contains trillions of living organisms — more bacterial cells than human cells. Fermented foods are the original probiotics, feeding your gut garden with diverse, beneficial bacteria that support digestion, immunity, mood, and even skin health.

30+ Trillion
Living organisms in your gut microbiome

Digestion

Probiotics break down food more efficiently, reducing bloating and improving nutrient absorption.

Immunity

70% of your immune system lives in your gut. Diverse bacteria = stronger defenses.

Mood

Your gut produces 90% of your serotonin. A healthy microbiome supports mental well-being.

Skin

The gut-skin axis is real. Better gut health means clearer, more radiant skin from within.

Every forkful of our kraut delivers billions of living cultures — not lab-grown, not added after the fact, but born naturally during weeks of fermentation.

The Method

Handmade. Patient. Alive.

01

Organic + Local

Born from a foundation of working with our local growers in Grass Valley, CA and turning the abundance of fresh seasonal ingredients into vibrant ferments. We've taken the definition of local to the next level and now grow our own seasonal cabbage just miles from our facility. Our on-site composting feeds the soil that grows next year's cabbage — a closed-loop regenerative system.

02

Plastic-Free Ferment

4-6 weeks in stainless steel vessels — never plastic. Ferments pull toxins from their surroundings, so we eliminate microplastic leaching entirely. We're the only widely available brand practicing plastic-free fermentation and glass-only packaging nationwide. The fizz you feel? That's living cultures at work.

03

Ship Alive

Free 2-day shipping. We ship your ferments in insulated boxes with ice packs, but they may arrive a little warmer than expected during summer months—no worries! Acidic ferments are tough cookies and can handle a brief warm spell. Refrigerate immediately and open carefully—they're still alive and may keep bubbling.

Feel the fizz.

The life in every jar isn't injected — it's earned. When you open a jar and hear that pop, you're holding proof that your food is genuinely alive.

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The Difference

Why Local Culture?

Award-Winning Taste

All 6 of our krauts and kimchis have won Good Food Awards for taste, quality, and social responsibility — 4 consecutive years running, including a People's Choice award. We lead with flavor: bright, crisp, and genuinely craveable.

Plastic-Free Everything

Ferments pull toxins from their surroundings. We ferment in stainless steel and package in glass — no microplastics leaching into your food. The only brand doing both.

Certified Organic

USDA organic, never pasteurized. Non-GMO isn't the same as organic — pesticides are still used. We do it right.

Zero-Waste Loop

100% of food scraps composted on-site, making soil for the cabbage we grow. Food scraps aren't trash — they're soil in the making.

Reusable Glass

Every jar is glass. Preserves flavor, prevents leaching, and lives on in your kitchen long after the kraut is gone.

Trusted By

People Who Know Food.

"Keep it up. Best kimchi I've had in a long time."

Thomas DeLauer

Nutrition Coach to Pro Athletes
3.8M YouTube · 1.9M Instagram

"Love your kimchi."

Dr. Yvonne Burkart

PhD Toxicologist
279K Instagram

"I eat kimchi everyday and just found your brand. It's my new absolute favorite."

Sean + Sina

@carnivoreishh
335K Instagram

Our Story

A husband + wife side hustle that became a nationwide brand.

Chris's passion for fermentation started in 2003, traveling through Mexico and Central America without refrigeration — cramming jars with veggies and salt, inspired by Sandor Katz. He noticed something: he wasn't getting sick like the other travelers around him.

In 2018, Chris and Cristina turned that obsession into a farmers market stand in Grass Valley while raising their kids. What started as a fun side hustle quickly became something bigger — Local Culture landed on the shelves of natural groceries up and down the West Coast, and eventually, nationwide.

Today they're still a husband-and-wife team. Still small batch. Still handcrafted. Still the only fermentation company doing plastic-free fermentation and packaging. Some things don't need to scale to get better.

About Us

Get Cultured

Fermentation tips, seasonal batch drops, and recipes from Chris + Cristina's kitchen. No spam — just culture.