Ginger & Lemon

Water kefir starts with kefir grains. These are translucent cultures of bacteria and yeast that feed on sugar, turning simple ingredients into delicious fizzy probiotic goodness.

Fermentation produces the probiotic cultures in water kefir. Microorganisms inside the kefir grains consume sugar and multiply, enriching the surrounding liquid with beneficial bacteria and yeasts. Because of the fermenting, very little sugar is left in the final product. What's left is crisp and refreshing, and a little dry to the taste.

Dairy free, gluten free, vegan, caffeine free and unpasteurised.

After fermenting, this liquid can be flavoured with fresh fruit or vegetable juices to taste, then bottled and sealed.

Sealing the water kefir in the bottle causes the leftover yeast to consume more sugars and release carbon dioxide, which is what produces the bubbly finished product.

Happy Belly Ferments Australia is a product passed over from my amazing sister Jo in New Zealand. She has been fermenting drinks for 15 years — using them to look after family, sharing them with friends, and finally setting up her own business.

I have lived in Australia for 30 years, and it has always been a problem for me that the only time I could drink my sister's water kefir was when I went home for holidays. Finally I realised that I could brew and bottle this delicious drink myself. And then — why wouldn't I start up my own franchise of Happy Belly Ferments, as the Australian branch?

Living at beautiful Mount Kembla near Wollongong is the perfect place to start a natural, fermented, fizzy and delicious drinks business.