In an age when most small businesses close before their 10th birthday, Garden Goddess Ferments has not only survived, it has thrived, fueled by cabbage, curiosity and a culture of living bacteria.
Fermented foods, once relegated to niche health aisles, are now riding a billion-dollar wave. U.S. sales of fermented products, from kombucha to kimchi, have soared in the past decade as science catches up to what ancient cultures already knew: a healthy gut often means a healthier brain, mood, metabolism and immune system. The National Institutes of Health now calls the gut microbiome “a key to whole-body wellness,” and 2025 research identifies fermented foods as one of the fastest-growing food categories in the country.
Suzette Smith, founder of Garden Goddess Ferments, didn’t plan on becoming the Valley’s patron saint of probiotics. “I wasn’t trying to start a food company,” she said. “I was teaching detox classes, talking about soil health, and then I read one article on fermented foods. I went straight to my cutting board and unknowingly made sauerkraut. That was the beginning of everything.”
From that impromptu kraut to a lineup of probiotic-packed jars and bottles, Garden Goddess Ferments has become a farmers market staple, an online success and a global shipper, all while staying raw, unpasteurized and fun.
Once dismissed as hippie pantry fare, fermented foods are now at the center of wellness culture. Harvard Medical School cites evidence that daily consumption can reduce inflammation and even improve mental health outcomes. Kimchi is being studied for antiviral properties; miso and tempeh are praised for plant-based protein; and sauerkraut, the foundation of Garden Goddess, is rich in vitamins C and K and packed with gut-friendly microbes.
Over the past decade, Garden Goddess Ferments has built a loyal following at local farmers markets and beyond. Smith’s cult-favorite Pick Up the Beet kvass, a sugar-free fermented beet tonic, remains one of the company’s bestsellers. “Pick Up the Beet is everything the beet is for, but better, because it’s fermented,” Smith said. “We’ve had customers call just to say how it’s changed their life. One told me, ‘It just makes you happy.’ That’s the kind of feedback that keeps me going.”
The product lineup also includes Kraut Jerky, a salty-sour chew created from a zero-waste epiphany; Power Kraut, packed with turmeric, ginger and carrots; Kowboy Kraut, a Southwestern mix with cumin and peppers; Apple Horse Kraut, a mild horseradish blend; Dilly Hot Kraut, with serrano heat and dill pickle tang; and probiotic-packed Fermented Garlic.
Smith isn’t slowing down. She is developing a sugar-free probiotic beet soda for the functional beverage boom and considering a fermented hot sauce that could bring both heat and health benefits to the condiment aisle. Through it all, she has stuck to her founding principles: nutrient-dense ingredients, integrity-driven processes and community connection.
“We’re not just selling kraut. We’re helping people feel better in their bodies,” Smith said. “That’s been the goal from the very beginning.”
In a food world where trends come and go faster than a TikTok recipe, Garden Goddess Ferments has done something rare. It has built a brand that lasts — in business, in bellies and in the billions of bacteria that call the gut home.
To explore the lineup, visit gardengoddessferments.com or follow @GGFerments on Instagram and Facebook.
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