A little while ago, we popped over to visit one of our trusted partners, the brilliant bunch at The Ferm.
So, who exactly are The Ferm and what do they do?
Based in London, The Ferm is a vegan fermentary specialising in zero-waste pickles and kimchi. Co-founded by Rebecca Ghim & Dr Maylin Stanic (aka flavour wizards), they use traditional Korean fermentation techniques to craft delicious products.
And what’s their connection to us?
Here’s the cool bit.. The Ferm turns our vegetable offcuts into their amazing fermented creations (along with other like-minded pro kitchens).. We cut waste, they reinvent it. Teamwork makes the (sustainable) dream work, right?
Curious to know more?
During our visit, the founders gave us the inside scoop on how they operate, what drives them, and why they make such fantastic sustainability partners. Stick around to hear it all straight from Rebecca and Maylin.
Can you walk me through your production process?
Once the surplus vegetables arrive onsite, we put them into the sink and wash them a couple of times. Next, we run the vegetables through our chopping machine, salt them at 3%, then leave it for six hours while we make the paste.
We blend garlic, ginger, and onion into a paste, then prepare a broth with rice porridge and cheong, a Korean fermented syrup. After salting, we drain the vegetables, mix everything, and ferment it in barrels for a few days. Then it is transferred into jars, boxed up, and shipped to customers.
- Rebecca Ghim, Co-founder
How do you ensure quality and consistency in your products?
Fooditude buys fresh cauliflowers from wholesalers, and Vladi collects the leaves over the next two to three days while they’re still very fresh from short fridge time. We now use a group chat to request a specific amount of waste and arrange a courier by a set day.
We used to box-seal cauliflower leaves with broccoli stems, thinking it’d keep them fresher but it didn’t. Likely due to sulfur release as the veg wilts, the sealed bags would bloat and smell. Now we use loose bags instead, which keep them fresher for longer.
- Rebecca Ghim, Co-founder
We use very traditional Korean methods and source high quality ingredients. That, in combination with rescuing your excellent byproducts, makes it consistently good, as we are not compromising on the methods or the ingredients we put in.
- Dr Maylin Stanic, Co-founder
What are the biggest challenges you have faced operating The Ferm?
Supply chain was by far the biggest challenge. It would’ve been much easier to sell kimchi if I’d just bought cabbages and made it myself. Sourcing from upcycling partners took a year to get right.
Kimchi is incredibly hard to commercialise, it changes daily. It’s a fermented, live product, so maintaining consistent humidity, pH, and temperature in each box is nearly impossible. Microbial activity varies with everything: hands, chopping boards, air, even the cabbages.
I also used to deliver all the kimchi to retailers. If they ordered 12 jars or more, I’d hand-deliver them myself. There was a risk of spillage, so I didn't want to risk sending them by delivery. To this day, I'm hyper aware in ensuring that our jars don't leek when they're transported.
- Rebecca Ghim, Co-founder
What do you love about working at The Ferm?
Working towards this vision has been really rewarding and interesting. Tackling all kinds of challenges, big or small has been enjoyable, especially because we do it together.
- Dr Maylin Stanic, Co-founder
What are your future plans for The Ferm?
We want to collaborate more with schools, charities, and hospitals to show kids and others that this is a viable method. There are incredible activists already teaching zero-waste practices, so working with them could really help demonstrate what’s possible.
- Rebecca Ghim, Co-founder
What drives us is making an impact, reducing food waste, which currently causes 10% of carbon emissions, and educating people on gut health. We’re motivated to combine both, without compromising on quality, while bringing authentic Korean flavours to the UK and soon, Europe too.
- Dr Maylin Stanic, Co-founder
Our collaboration with The Ferm is grounded in shared values: quality, consistency, innovation, and a deep commitment to reducing food waste. Together, we’re showing that reducing food waste doesn’t mean compromising on taste — in fact, it can lead to something even better.
Matt Byne, Director of Food
Conclusion
We love partnering with The Ferm — they share our passion for quality and sustainability. At Fooditude, we’re always exploring smarter ways to tackle food waste — whether it’s through teaching our chefs better knife skills or hosting pickling workshops with clients to help them repurpose food scraps at home.
Working with innovative food producers like The Ferm allows the Fooditude team to stay actively engaged with the food waste challenge. We’re proud of our collaboration with them. Not only does it connect us to the circular economy, but it also inspires new ways to transform surplus ingredients into dishes our diners love.
Curious to see what they offer? Check out their full product range on their website: click here to visit
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