Cultured Love, MI

Grand Rapids, MI. Jodie Krumpe and her small crew turn West Michigan produce into krauts of many sizzling flavors, colors & dispositions. Cultured Love's mantra is "good food, good mood"--indeed, the company works to change eating habits in their community by offering the promise of gut healing and improved wellness. Find their colorful, flavor-packed krauts in stores and markets around West Michigan!

Get in touch with Cultured Love: jodie@culturedlove.com

Tell us about your organization, what do you do?

Cultured Love endeavors to make good food possible for anyone by raising awareness of ideas and issues at the intersection of food and health and by producing natural and nutritious, fermented foods. Through their products and classes, Cultured Love helps consumers identify and prepare their own fermented food and learn about the effects of food choices on well-being.

How did you get interested in working with food? What made you passionate about what you do?

Cultured Love started producing specialty organic sauerkraut in Grand Rapid's Downtown Market Incubator Kitchen in Grand Rapids in Sept 2014. We found ourselves in the food business after walking through 8 years with our daughter’s chronic illness. After being diagnosed with Lyme disease and undergoing 2 years of antibiotic treatment, we transitioned into more natural care, recognizing acutely the connection between what we eat, its impact on our gut health, and the effect on how we feel, think, and heal. We modified our diet based on the GAPS protocol (gut healing diet) which includes the introduction of fermented foods. As we healed, we began to tell people about our experience, and they began to ask us for help with their own diets. Our products and educational services are a way to pass along what we've learned and the healing we've experienced.

What are you working on right now? What are you most excited about?

It has been our mission from inception to "Make Good Food Possible." Many people are like us and are only motivated to change their diets when they begin to suffer from disease or poor health. Often, by this time, they are too sick to get out of bed, let alone plan a meal, shop and cook. At Cultured Love, our goal therefore is to meet people at their greatest point of resistance to good food, whether it’s a matter of awareness, tools and skills, or access. For the indignant or unaware we offer access to information, and education. For those lacking the skills to source, shop, and cook, we provide training. For those who lack the energy, time, or inclination to do it themselves, we offer ready-to-eat products as a means to more quickly and easily get access to good foods.

What frustrates you most about your work or the current food culture at large? What do you wish to change the most?

Some people have bad memories and associations from childhood when it comes to kraut, and others dismiss it without giving it a try. Our products are designed to be accessible to a broad range of people and taste preferences, and we do see many of these naysayers "converted" once they've tried our krauts.

Any recent moments of optimism? Things you see changing for the better?

Our #1 target market is young mothers who want to feed their kids healthy foods. We LOVE when young people give our krauts a try, and usually they really like it. One of my favorite moments was when a mother said "your product is the only way my child will eat vegetables." Changing the tastes and diets of the next generation is really exciting.

What's your favorite vegetable to eat, grow, or wear?

We love to roasted cauliflower and Brussel's sprouts! We also think cabbage is stunning when cut in half (but were biased...)

Anything else you want us to know? Anything you want us to help you spread the word about?

We are in the process of moving into a new kitchen of our own which will allow us to do more research to develop new products! Look for us at stores and farmers markets around West Michigan and stay tuned for a new ecommerce website. Until then, email me at jodie@culturedlove.com to buy our krauts!