Fans are upset after investors on Shark Tank turned down a deal on Mama O's Kimchi. Of the 5 sharks, only 4 had tasted kimchi. The show’s exposure netted some big sales for the Brooklyn-based fermentation brand. Read on for full article bit.ly/3WHdK49

Several obstacles prevent the innovation of fermented foods from the lack of scientific research to a chasm between science & industry to improving the sustainability of traditional ferments. Read article on COST PIMENTO at UN Science & Innovation forum bit.ly/3sCEUvx

Pass the gochujang!

We are delighted to support and participate in next week's 2022 Korean Fermented Food Forum. TFA Board Member Kheeeim Oh Mama O's Kimchi, TFA Science Advisor Dr. Fred Breidt and TFA Editor Amelia Nielson-Stowell will be speaking. Registration is complimentary but limited

As a fermenter with a doctorate in library and information studies, Dr. Julia Skinner (new book: Fermentation Oracle!) finds the intersection between fermented foods and history fascinating. That crossroads is where humans evolved with food preservation techniques. Read our Q&A w the author: bit.ly/3hSkQmx

Fermentation is topping restaurant trend lists for 2023. “Pickling and fermenting preparations are having a moment,” reads Technomic’s 2023 Foodservice Industry Trend Report. Fermentation’s “The Power of Preserving” is one of their top 7 trends bit.ly/3F3yafR

The world’s largest kimchi producer is building their 1st European factory in Kraków, Poland. Daesang investing $10.6 million to build facility. It’s a joint venture w Polish food producer Charsznickie Pola Natury (ChPN) who specializes in fermented foods bit.ly/3hVOes7

Edmundo Farrera describes the taste of mezcal as a complex experience: “First you taste the valley where the agave plant was grown, next the earth it came from, and then on to taste the cosmos and time.” The MX native opened New Zealand’s first mezcal bar bit.ly/3Bn0VmC

Science mag ISRAEL21c got a tour of Noa Berman-Herzberg’s home kitchen pickle paradise. Pickling piqued her interest bc her grandparents ran a Jewish deli in Philly. Today she is a fermentation educator & screenwriter, producing “Sour Food, Sour Stories” bit.ly/3jeCDFh

Korean ferments are gaining popularity w U.S. consumers & ag leaders hope to increase exports of Korean-made fermented foods to U.S. At the 1st Korean Fermented Food Forum, industry leaders shared expertise on future of Korean ferments in American market bit.ly/3WA1zFu

When TFA began tracking industry news 5 years ago, we put a write-up in our newsletter when fermentation made a food pubs new year trend or best of list. Today, analyzing 2023 lists, it’s too much to write a story for each list. Fermentation dominates 2023 bit.ly/3jKHAG4

Baltimore@hexferments was the star of the PBS show START UP. The series highlights small American biz owners, chronicling what it takes to start a successful biz. Co-founder Maegan Carpenter schooled START UP host Gary Bredow on ferments and gut health bit.ly/3UEw10i

Join us Winter Fancy Food Show Specialty Food Association in Vegas this weekend! Our editor Amelia Nielson-Stowell will be speaking Sunday on the topic: Fermentation is not a Trend. What is fermented, why does it matter and how can you educate the consumer? bit.ly/3kiLNRO

The food industry is at center of multiple bottlenecks hurting food production – extreme weather, supply chain disruption, inflation & political conflict. Singapore’s Nanyang Technological Uni (NTU) have found a sustainable food solution: fermentation bit.ly/3W5xw88

Scientists are learning more about gut health everyday. New research by University of College Cork found a diet high in fermented foods decreases stress. Great quote by John F. Cryan

Rockstars of fermentation Pascal Baudar and Sandor Katz shared an intimate stage to discuss wild food. “One of the things I started realizing doing foraging is it’s really about food preservation techniques,” Baudar, author new book “Wildcrafted Vinegars” bit.ly/3GKuv7D

We can’t write-off pasteurized ferments as dead, less healthy cousin to its unpasteurized, live relative. Fermented foods provide health benefits, pasteurized or not. David Zilber explored how the microbial transformation of food intersects w gut microbes bit.ly/3lgYywH

Plenty of anecdotal evidence lauds sourdough as healthier bread alternative for those with wheat or gluten intolerance but there is little research providing data on the topic. Now new research proves the longer a sourdough ferments, the better the bread bit.ly/3HTaEUk

“The American Wine Industry Has an Old People Problem,” The New York Times. The article dives into the challenge highlighted by a new report: winemakers are missing younger consumers. The biggest growth area is among 70- to 80-year-olds. “It’s worse than I thought” nyti.ms/3k6aBNb

Fermented foods take the top spot in Today’s Dietitian annual list of superfoods for the 6th year in a row. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) were polled for the 11th annual “What’s Trending in Nutrition” survey bit.ly/40nxjPZ