Behind the business - Wild Child Ferments
Oliva Barnes is part of a quiet revolution in North Canterbury.
The owner and creator of Wild Child Ferments, Olivia is encouraging people to discover the link between gut health and strong immune systems by enticing them into a sensory world of brilliant colours, crunchy textures and a richness of flavours that stretches from the warmth of turmeric, gochugaru and ginger, to the unique flavours of kawakawa, horopito and jujubes.
From her fermentary in Greta Valley, Olivia blends these carefully sourced ingredients to create small batch sauerkraut.
While fermented vegetables have long been part of traditional diets in Germany and Europe, sauerkraut and kimchi are only recently beginning to find themselves staples on the breakfast, lunch or dinner tables of North Canterbury.
The winner, says Olivia, is our immune systems.
“If you have good gut health, you have a good immune system. It’s so important to be looking after our gut through introducing good bacteria by eating fermented food, while also feeding the bacteria by eating organic vegetables.
“The commercialisation of food has put an emphasis on fast food production to the detriment of food’s health-giving values. People are going back to how we used to produce food: slowly, for better gut health. When food is fermented and not pasteurised, you have all the good bacteria and yeasts still available.”
Raised in a foodie family, where her parents competed to cook dinner, cooking was always viewed as a pleasure.
“Cookbooks covered an entire wall at home, and dad would always try to not create the same dish twice.”
Married to a farmer and raising a headstrong two-year-old, running her own fermentary was the perfect way to combine her creativity as an artist with her passion for health, and still have time for her family.
Olivia champions small producers and would like to see bigger businesses come more on board with supporting local. Aside from the Amberley Farmers’ Market and the Ohoka Market, her kraut is also available at Rangiora Produce Market and Merivale Fresh Choice.
“There’s definitely demand for it. I’ve only been in the business for eight months and there’s more of a community regularly buying kraut in Amberley and Ohoka.”