Zoë’s Story
Early Beginnings
My name is Zoe Beale. I started this business, sort of by accident, in 2014. I first tried kimchi when my uncle Paul made some with Korean students who were renting a room in his home in Saint John. It was so good! I love experimenting in the kitchen so it wasn’t long before I was trying it out on my own.
My first kimchi experiments came with some friends and me on a cross Canada road trip. Ferments make great car foods! They don’t need to be refrigerated and they just keep getting better and more flavorful. Only one passenger complained daily about the smell, but I think she forgave us. I have always had an entrepreneurial streak so when my friends started asking me for my kimchi it naturally evolved into the business it is today.
Influences/Background
The growth of Zoe’s Ferments has been a journey with many contributing influences. Growing up, working with my mom–Dee Dee of Dee Dee’s Ice Cream–I learned and am still learning a lot about business and the food industry. In my sporadic time at Dalhousie University I was involved in what would become the Loaded Ladle, a collective centered on food activism; sustainable food systems, food access, food sovereignty.
In 2014 I spent some months working on Highland farm, also known as Mother Oak Permaculture. From there I went to work on Hutten Family Farm and would spend three seasons working as a farm laborer. This was my first real introduction to mid-scale agriculture in Nova Scotia and was immensely educational. In 2015 I went to Fredericton to do a foundation in visual arts program at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. That was where I designed my logo as it is today!
Farmer’s Markets
One of the first places I sold my ferments was a booth at the Halifax Brewery Farmer’s Market. Born and raised in Halifax, I would go to this market as a child and it has always felt like a second home. As a teenager, I would spend Saturdays scooping ice cream and chatting with market regulars. I was very familiar with what it was like to work a market stall and it was a logical beginning place. I have also been a vendor at the Hubbard’s market, the Spryfield market, and the Tantallon market. While studying in Fredericton I spent weekends slinging my ferments at the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market. I love each farmer’s market for its unique offering to the Nova Scotia food shed.
In 2019 I took a job working for the Halifax Brewery Market as part of the management team. This job has furthered my understanding of Nova Scotia’s food system and my appreciation for our province’s commitment to local food.
Values
Something I love about my business is the interconnectedness between my product and all of its components. I value greatly my relationships with the farmers I buy from as well as the small businesses I sell my product to. Those relationships allow my business to be flexible and to do things such as create unique product offerings depending on what crop was successful that season, what vegetables didn’t sell well at that week’s market or what harvest is passing its prime and needs to be used.
I might be approached by a farmer with an abundance of “ugly” watermelon radishes, asking if I can use them. I love saying yes and turning it into something that gets other people curious and excited. I believe in fermentation! It is an ancient method of food preservation for good reason. I think it is essential in a journey towards a sustainable food system and a healthy population.
Zoe’s Ferments Today
I am happy to say I have two great women on my team with me now, Dayna Forsythe and Sara McNeil. My business would not be where it is today without them!
Find Sara selling her locally inspired baked goods Tea Time Treats at the Halifax Brewery Market on Saturdays. She is also an avid home fermenter and is often expressing gratitude for her roommates who let her fill the fridge with all her creative concoctions. Dayna holds it down at Dee Dee’s Ice Cream and is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. She is also a graphic designer, artist and all around creative awesome person. I am so grateful for these two! They have allowed my business to continue and thrive while allowing me to embark on a different kind of journey, a journey of motherhood!
Enjoy our products, they are made with love. Thank you for your support!
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