Vermont Fermentation Adventures is a small-batch vegetable fermenter and kombucha-making company in Moretown, VT. It has been in business since 2012 and moved out of its home kitchen into a licensed food processing space in 2019. To reduce their product’s contact with plastic, they ferment all their batches in traditional ceramic crocks. The batch sizes are significantly smaller than many other fermenters, making working with these heavy vessels possible. Vermont Fermentation Adventures uses Vermont-grown, certified organic vegetables and local wild-crafted ingredients whenever possible.

Vermont Fermentation Adventures got its start when Beki Auclair was making kimchi, sauerkraut and other ferments in “Wild Fermentation” by Sandor Katz and sharing her bounty with friends and family. Then, in 2011, Moretown suffered substantial damage from Tropical Storm Irene, including damage to her home and anything she was fermenting. After an extensive community clean-up effort in 2012, community leaders organized a farmers’ market and invited Beki and her kids to participate. Her kids sold cookies and brownies, and Beki brought several of her fermented creations, making it a fun experience for the family.

Now, several years into the fermentation business, Beki runs Vermont Fermentation Adventures on the guiding philosophy of kindness, fairness, respect, and care for every aspect of life that her business touches. If mistakes are made and there is a history of mutual respect and compassion, navigating stressful situations becomes easier for everyone involved. Fermenting is an adventure that connects business with a diverse group of people and a community that strives to support everyone in making healthy food choices while exploring ancient and innovative recipes.

Inspiration comes from suggestions of what people have tried and found wonderful, through something they read, and even through a surplus of a particular veggie that year; a small batch will be made and tasted. If everyone in the fermentery loves it, they will make a test batch to see how customers like it. If feedback is excellent, they can include it in their regular production and product rotation. Innovation is essential because of the challenges growers face farming in a four-season state, with those seasons getting even harder to predict what will grow well that year. Coupled with the impacts of farm flooding over the past few years, sourcing from certified organic growers in Vermont can be a complex puzzle, which sometimes isn’t even possible.

Apart from sourcing ingredients, the folks at Vermont Fermentation Adventures are constantly adjusting their process. They have technology in the fermentery to help work with the heavy, ceramic crocks they use in fermentation. The larger crocks have rolling carts, and Beki’s friend custom makes stainless steel plates that help submerge vegetables under the brine while fermenting. Sometimes the fermentation process goes awry, such as bubbling over in jars, which was not prone to happen in the past. They hope things work out, but Beki admits, “For sure, it is always an adventure.”

With more and more people catching the fermentation bug, Beki sells Vermont Fermentation Adventures products at the Co-op and the Montpelier Farmers’ Market. She gets to know long-time customers who appreciate their products and people who are just starting to include fermented foods in their diet at the Farmers’ Market. She often encounters experienced fermenters at the Market and enjoys learning from them. When Beki isn’t fermenting, she enjoys family life, singing, and yoga. She is a math nerd and a justice freak, loves most mammals, and occasionally leads worship at their church.

Vermont Fermentation Adventures’ ferments are best enjoyed as is or as part of a salad. The beneficial bacteria that grow during fermentation are heat-sensitive and shouldn’t be cooked. Beki recommends adding kimchi or sauerkraut and slicing the pickles on your salad, drizzling olive oil, and adding a pinch of chunky salt. Add as many interesting and delicious vegetables, nuts, and seeds as you’d like. This will give you a great dose of probiotics and prebiotics.

Join Beki on Thursday, May 15, 2025, for a Simple Sauerkraut Making Workshop upstairs in the Co-op’s Community Room from 6 to 7 pm. Register.