Pickles and fermented vegetables are growing at +15% YOY in units and dollars, as consumers seek functional foods and Wisconsin-based Fermented Holdings are at the forefront.

FFH has seven brands – three in the refrigerated space – including the No. 1 brands of refrigerated pickles and sauerkraut in the natural grocery channel (Bubbies and wildbrine) respectively.

Wildbrine’s Korean-style kimchi is the best-selling kimchi in the natural channel.

Jorge Azevedo in 2024 was named the company’s first chief executive officer. Azevedo joined FFH in 2022, serving as chief operating officer before being promoted to CEO.

With over 15 years of experience in business operations, sales and brand development, Azevedo oversees FFH's strategic direction, operational functions and key partnerships. Before joining FFH, Azevedo was a founding partner and Chief Growth Officer at Planterra Foods and served as head of U.S. sales execution and finance at Kraft Heinz, where was instrumental in the $16 billion post-merger integration of Kraft and Heinz retail sales.

How are FFH’s refrigerated brands manufactured and distributed?

Fermented Food Holdings’ brands are distributed both nationally and internationally. We own two manufacturing plants in the U.S., and work with other manufacturing partners both domestically and abroad, with 100% of our manufacturing footprint located in North America.

The U.S. plants are located in Wisconsin and New York. The Wisconsin plant is the largest sauerkraut plant in the world and processes a large amount of local cabbage. We source over 90% of our cabbage from family farms in Wisconsin with several multi-generation partnerships.

Our flagship brands, Bubbies, Wildbrine and Silver Floss, are distributed around the world, but are true fermentation powerhouses in the United States. Silver Floss is the largest sauerkraut brand in the U.S., Bubbies is the fastest growing and Wildbrine’s Sauerkraut and Kimchi are the leading natural channel items.

In total, our brands are available in over 20,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada and are sold at hundreds of Costco Clubs worldwide. We are also available in most restaurants serving high-quality sauerkraut.

Wildbrine is known for experimenting with fermentation’s impact on food and focuses on naturally delicious and nutritious fermented products.  How do Fermented Food Holdings’ refrigerated brands approach R&D and what sets your products apart from others in the market?

At FFH we look at the essence of our brands and listen to the demands of our consumers, then we go to work to come up with products that satisfy both of those needs with the goal of developing the absolute best products.

Our innovation approach is always with the product as the absolute start of the show. Product quality is our number one marketing tactic. We don’t spend as much as other brands on advertising and promotions, so our products need to speak for themselves and that’s why we obsess so much over quality and eating experience.

We have an approach that’s both artistic and scientific. We spend time listening to our key customers and consumers and coming up with our own ideas. Then, we dedicate a lot of time to working on the bench and the fermentation room to make sure our products deliver on taste, texture and overall eating experience.

When we determine we have a winner on a product at the bench level, the scale up science starts. We monitor several product attributes and variables that might impact final quality, like temperature, acidity, Ph, salinity, pressure and try to build a very controlled environment to ensure we can consistently deliver what we promise.

The U.S. fermented food and beverage market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% through 2035, according to FMI, primarily driven by consumer focus on digestive health, immunity and clean-label diets. How do you see refrigerated and frozen foods capitalizing on that shift?

Overall fermentation is hot right now and the expectation is that it will continue to grow. The 4.7% figure from FMI includes all fermented categories, but health-forward categories like Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kefir etc. are poised to grow a lot faster than that.

I believe we will continue to see consumers seeking minimally processed – yet food safe – food options and fermentation is the most tried and proved segment to deliver on that demand.

For the last several years, we have seen a very strong trend of “back to basics” in people’s approach to their dietary choices and health management. Gut health is now one of the top concerns across most consumer groups and ever more people are learning about the positive impacts that good gut health can have on other parts of their lives.

Refrigerated and frozen foods will step up the offerings of naturally preserved probiotic rich foods that are minimally processed. Gradually, consumers will become more educated and even more demanding. Consumption will likely converge from the broad base of offerings available today, which includes many brands with artificially added probiotics, into a cohort of naturally fermented and more beneficial products.

FFH recently established its company headquarters in Wisconsin. What led the company to plant roots in the badger state?

We’ve long partnered with family-run farms across Wisconsin, sourcing 90% of our cabbage from within the state for our sauerkraut products. Wisconsin has some of the best growing conditions for cabbage in the country, so moving our headquarters here was an obvious choice for us.

In 2024, we invested $13 million in establishing our headquarters in Madison. This investment also expanded our production facility in northeastern Wisconsin and created 60 new full-time jobs. The move enables us to better support the local agricultural community and strengthen our relationships with suppliers and farm partners.

Bubbies in 2024 claimed the first-place crown in R&FF’s Best New Retail Products Contest and since then, FFH brands have released several new refrigerated products. What’s on the horizon for Fermented Food Holdings, and its brands, in the fourth quarter and beyond?

Bubbies is a very exciting brand. It tastes like grandma’s love and brings a unique nostalgic feeling to mind. We’re known for being the absolute best in the market in everything we do and that’s not about to change any time soon.

Bubbies has the best sauerkraut, the best horseradish and not only the best, but the only truly fermented pickle in the market (hint: look for no vinegar on the label). Our pipeline is rich and exciting. This year, we are bringing two new sauerkraut flavors to market with Bubbies Ruby beet flavor and Bubbies Dill. Later this year, we have a very exciting item coming into the snacking segment, which will be the first preservative-free pickle in a pouch.