(bright music) (graphics whooshing) - Hello and welcome to "Prairie Pulse."

Coming up a little bit later in the show, we'll hear music from Hero and the Villain.

But first joining me now, our guest is the CEO and co-founder of Farmented Foods, Vanessa Williamson.

Vanessa, thanks for joining us today.

- Thank you so much for having me.

- Well, but as we get started, tell the folks a little bit about yourself and your background maybe.

- Oh, well, my name's Vanessa.

I'm originally from Grand Forks, North Dakota, born and raised.

I moved out to Montana for college and I stayed there for about eight years where I met my husband.

We got married and then we decided to move back closer to family.

I've recently had my first son and, yeah, just living our lives in Fargo.

- All right, well, congratulations on your son.

But you're here today to talk about Farmented foods.

You talked about, yeah, going to college in Montana, you met a second Vanessa, I understand.

So tell me about the origins of Farmented foods.

- Absolutely.

So I went to Montana State University, it was my senior year in school and I took a interdisciplinary course called Farm to Market.

I was studying Business and Marketing and my co-founder was studying Sustainable Food System and Bioenergy, and we both happened to take this course and the premise of the course was to create value added products from what local farms make using design thinking and problem solving.

And so for our final project, Vanessa and I were randomly paired up with one another and we hadn't worked together at all throughout the semester and we were matched with a local farmer.

And after talking with this farmer trying to figure out what could we make, we quickly realized that we could also help him solve a problem.

And that problem was that these ugly and excess crops that he couldn't sell that year.

He had a bunch of daikon radishes, all of these funky looking carrots with like two stems and a slightly bruised cabbage that all of it was perfectly nutritious and great to eat but he just didn't have a market for it.

And Vanessa had a real passion, other Vanessa, not me (chuckles) for fermenting foods.

And after kind of researching a bit, we could see that this could actually be a really viable option as fermentation trends were on the rise and it's a way to preserve and protect the product while also adding some health benefits.

So we made our three products that we still have today dill sauerkraut, radish kimchi, and spicy carrots.

We presented it to the the community for our final, and afterwards we had just so many farmers approach us saying this is a real problem.

We too have all of this produce that we don't know what to do with.

And so we kind of took it from there.

- Well, okay, so Vanessa Walsten it looks like.

- Yes.

- And you are Vanessa Williamson, just to the two Vanessa's - (laughs) Two Vanessa's, yes.

- So just tell me again because make it simple here.

What is fermented foods?

What does your company do and specialize in?

- We lovingly refer to ourselves as an ugly vegetable fermentation company.

So basically we take the vegetables that might look a little funky, maybe our farmer had an overproduction of this year and we ferment them into our products.

It gives them longer shelf life as well as the added health benefits that come along with fermentation.

- Yeah, so how much food or vegetable products on farms is discarded each year?

- Well, according to the NRDC, 40% of the food grown in the United States is never eaten.

And while that can vary from farm to farm and there are many reasons for this, part of it is this idea that food has to be pretty and perfect.

You know, when you go to the grocery store you might sort through countless like apples or tomatoes to find that perfect one that's not too ripe and has zero bruises but that really does leave so much produce cast aside just 'cause we didn't deem it perfect enough.

- You said 40%, but out of that 40% most of that is still edible and usable?

- Yes.

- Is what you're- - Yeah.

- Okay.

- So how is the business going so far?

- It's going really well.

So we still have our production location in Montana that's really expanding quite quickly right now.

Vanessa runs that.

She's from Montana and so she's able to stay around her family.

And when my husband and I decided to move back to Fargo to be closer to our family, I decided farmers here have the same problems that farmers in Montana do.

And so I started a second production space here and we've just started growing that.

We're looking for distribution here as well.

And recently as a whole, our company has been has become an approved brand for Natural Grocers.

So we're gonna slowly start to get into those stores as well.

- Yeah.

So again, so how long has the company been in business?

And you said Montana was but did you plan to start one Fargo when you moved here?

- I did not.

That was not the plan.

We started in 2017.

We sold our first jar at a farmer's market, December of 2017 in Bozeman, Montana.

And so it's been going for about six years.

And when I originally moved here was not planning on starting a second location.

It actually came about a year after I'd moved here.

I missed the production aspect.

I missed the local food systems part.

And so we decided to start another one here and we can, you know, service more farmers we can help save more of those ugly vegetables.

- Okay, so talk about a little bit more about how do you sell your product?

How is it distributed, I guess, and marketed for that matter?

- So we have a few different distribution channels.

One is direct to consumer via our website and we'll ship it to your front door.

We don't focus on that as much, but it is an option for people that don't live in our local markets.

We also sell at farmer's markets when they're in season.

And then we sell to stores and we have distributors for that out of Montana.

So we're distributed all across the state of Montana into Wyoming a bit and we're working on expanding from there.

And then here I self distribute to some select stores.

- So again, how many products do you have and are they're all processed in Montana or?

Tell me more about it.

- Yeah.

- Again.

- We have four staple products that we always carry.

One is our dill sauerkraut, radish kimchi spicy carrots on the end.

And then we have what's called our fixer elixir which is a probiotic brine, and we recommend taking about an ounce a day.

It ferments right along with our carrots and we strain off that brine as just kind of an easy way of getting, you know, the health benefits from fermentation.

And then we also do seasonal products as well.

In Montana, we're currently fermenting a batch of jalapenos that are really delicious.

I'll do salsa every once in a while here.

So we we're working on some different sauerkraut flavors as well.

So we like to keep new products coming for the avid fermented foods lovers but we also like to have our staples as well.

- Hmm, well, you talk about the two locations.

Do you have offices in both and plants in both?

You know, of course we talked about in North Dakota and Montana.

And is it working well for you or do you travel between the two?

The two Vanessa's?

- Yes.

(chuckles) So we have our own production space in Montana that Vanessa runs and she's currently working on expanding that, and so she ferments all of the same products, but just in Montana.

And then I work out of a shared commercial kitchen space here and I again ferment the same products that she does but for our local markets.

And then within the year I will be moving into my own production facility here as well.

And it works well, we're able to service different markets.

And yeah, sometimes it's tricky when Vanessa and I aren't in in the same place, but we travel back and forth a little bit.

And, you know, the magic of Zoom and FaceTime and everything is pretty great.

- Well, do you have any staff with it or is it the two Vanessa's that does all the marketing?

And so, you know, again tell me about that.

- Yeah, we each currently have one production assistant in each location.

So we are currently both still actively doing the fermentation process as well as all of the business aspects that come along with owning a small business.

And so we have a really small team, but we're definitely looking to expand here pretty soon.

- You know, how important is food safety and food security?

Well, to the consumers and, of course, how do you treat that?

- Yeah, I mean food safety is our number one priority.

With our products we have a lot of checks and balances in place to making sure that we're following all safety guidelines and that these products are the highest quality possible that they can be.

And you know, food security, I think we really saw it in 2020 people gravitating towards local food systems during the pandemic, and we really saw how important these small farmers are, these small local producers, and that's just continue to grow as time has passed since then.

- So how crucial, you mentioned farmer's market for your company and then for Vanessa and Montana for the ones that take place on Saturdays, and, of course, downtown Fargo for you?

I don't know what for her in Montana.

- Yeah, they're so important.

That direct feedback of someone literally coming up, trying your product and you get to see in real time if they love it, if they hate it, you know.

Do they buy it, do they not?

And getting that feedback, especially with new products is so much fun and such an important part of what we do.

And just getting to interact with our customers and hearing their thoughts and I mean especially when someone comes up to you and just says like how much they love your product, that, of course, feels really great.

But it's also important to see, you know, if a product isn't doing well.

Well, maybe we don't release that to stores.

So we love the farmer's markets.

They're honestly the best marketing tool, best feedback tool that we could ever ask for.

- You talked a little bit about distribution, and so how far do you want your reach?

You know, what do you think are... Of course, are you into Canada?

Can you talk about that?

- Yeah, our goals as a company is to be all across the United States, into Canada would be amazing.

We're currently well distributed throughout the state of Montana.

I'm starting that here in North Dakota as well and into Minnesota.

And we have spots around the US that purchase our products that we ship to them, but soon we hope to be in Colorado and in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California regions are kind of our next target areas.

- Why do you think so many people are interested in sort of that farm to market movement we hear about?

- Yeah, I think people like to see the care that goes into their food.

They, you know, when you purchase a product from me, let's say here in North Dakota, you know, our farmers are from here.

You're not just helping a small business owner, you're also helping the farmers that work so tirelessly to produce our food.

You get such a great quality from it and I think that personable aspect is really, really incredible.

- You know, is this a competitive business that you're in right now or are you in sort of a niche market with this?

- You know, it's a combination of both.

In different areas it depends.

So here in North Dakota, you know, we are one of the only fermented vegetable companies that's local here.

You go to California, and the shelves are spilling over with them.

And so it's really fun for me, you know, being from North Dakota, being from the Midwest to be able to bring these products to my home state and to the surrounding ones especially things like sauerkraut.

That is so nostalgic for a lot of people up here and getting to bring, you know, my own version of it is really, really fun.

- So you already talked a little bit about some new products but are you looking at other new products to be made from ugly vegetables on the farm?

- Yeah, we're always looking for different products.

We've got some different sauerkrauts in the works as well as, you know, some vegetable medley products.

I can't be too forward with what we're producing but we've got some stuff in the works for sure.

- Talk again about what are some of your favorites or, you know, you mentioned it I think.

But tell me about your favorites.

- My absolute favorite is our radish kimchi.

It's a bit spicy, it's a bold flavor.

I use it as a side and on top of so many dishes at home.

The sauerkraut is so popular here.

Again, the people know what sauerkraut is here.

And it's kind of like an introduction into our other products, which is really fun.

We add dill and garlic to it, so it's unique in that perspective.

And then the carrots are just a wonderful snack.

I just take 'em right outta the jar, they're sliced up and just eat 'em throughout the day.

- So yeah, as I think about it, that was gonna be my question, is it more of a side, or is it more of a garnish or do you put it over other food or all the above?

- All of the above.

One of my favorite things to do with the kimchi is to create what I call a kimcheese.

And it's a grilled cheese with kimchi in the middle and it's like my ultimate comfort food.

So you can use it in food like that or, you know, you can top off some tacos or your eggs in the morning.

You can eat it straight out of the jar if you want.

So it's very versatile.

- All right, so you've told us about your company, you've talked about how it's doing so far, but where does it go from here?

What's the future look like?

- Yes, you know continue to expand our production operations, to be able to supply more and more stores, you know, I'm gonna be focused here on expanding into the Midwest and, you know, in our state of North Dakota, but also into Minnesota and Wisconsin and all these surrounding states.

And then in Montana we're focused on expanding into the mountain west region.

So I mentioned, you know, Colorado the Pacific Northwest, and kind of we're each kind of taking half of the US and trying to expand into these states from our own spots.

- Yeah, what's your biggest challenge with products like this or with a company like this?

- Yeah, I mean, it's getting into stores.

It's making sure that, you know, the product launches a success when we can't support it, like, we can for a local store.

So if, you know, we're in some spots in Texas, for example, and making sure that we do everything we can for them to have success with the products.

When I can't fly there, you know, every week and do a demo.

So it's a learn as you go thing for sure.

- All right.

Well, Vanessa, if people want more information where can they go?

- They can go to our website, www.farmented.com.

They can also find us on Instagram @farmentedfoods, and just reach out if they have any questions.

- All right, well, thank you for joining us today and best of luck to you.

- Thank you so much.

- Stay tuned for more.

(bright music) The Hero And The Villain from St.

Cloud, Minnesota is a singer songwriter with musical roots in rock, country and folk, who has a passion for telling musical stories to audiences across Minnesota.

- One, two.

One two, one, two, three, four.

(gentle country music) ♪ Sitting lakeside with the boys ♪ ♪ Whoo-hoo, hoo, hoo ♪ ♪ Sipping whiskey in the sunshine ♪ ♪ Living life without a noise ♪ ♪ It's not a worry or thought left in my head ♪ ♪ So my mind begins to wonder once again ♪ ♪ Can I think about the girl ♪ ♪ Whoo-hoo, hoo, hoo ♪ ♪ 'Cause I was staring at the sunset ♪ ♪ She's beauty in this world ♪ ♪ Just tellin' stories of our roses have them thorns ♪ ♪ And I like to think I know just what she meant ♪ ♪ And some days go longer ♪ ♪ I just miss her more ♪ ♪ I would walk a country mile ♪ ♪ Whoo-hoo, hoo, hoo ♪ ♪ Just to see that girl smile ♪ ♪ And, sure, it has been a while, ooh-oh ♪ ♪ Since I've seen that girl smile ♪ ♪ Summers come and summers go ♪ ♪ Whoo-hoo, hoo, hoo ♪ ♪ She gets lost inside the seasons ♪ ♪ A little longer than she'd hoped ♪ ♪ When the winter she's been trapped and melt way ♪ ♪ Well, I can't wait to see the sunlight of her face ♪ ♪ As some days go longer ♪ ♪ I just, I miss her more ♪ ♪ I would walk a country mile ♪ ♪ Whoo-hoo, hoo, hoo ♪ ♪ Just to see that girl smile ♪ ♪ And, sure, it has been a while, ooh-oh ♪ ♪ Since I've seen that girl smile ♪ (gentle country music) ♪ I would walk a country mile ♪ ♪ Just to see that girl smile ♪ ♪ And, sure, it has been a while, oh-oh ♪ ♪ Since I've seen that girl smile ♪ ♪ Well, I would walk a country mile ♪ ♪ Whoo-hoo, hoo, hoo ♪ ♪ Oh-oh ♪ ♪ Just to see that girl smile ♪ ♪ And, sure, it has been a while, ooh-oh ♪ ♪ Since I've seen that girl smile ♪ ♪ And I know it's not my style ♪ ♪ No, oh ♪ ♪ But I would walk a country mile ♪ ♪ Just to see that girl smile ♪ ♪ Just to see that girl smile ♪ ♪ Whoo-hoo, hoo, hoo ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ (lively music) ♪ Chupacabra ♪ (lively music) ♪ Chupacabra ♪ ♪ He lives by himself in a desert land ♪ ♪ Not quite beast, not quite man ♪ ♪ His lust for blood he never fully understand ♪ ♪ Chupacabra ♪ ♪ He plans the day in musty cave ♪ ♪ What goes in, never escape ♪ ♪ Just pair of blood red eyes and you know it's too late ♪ ♪ Chupacabra ♪ ♪ But before he gets a taste ♪ ♪ He plucks the worn-out blood-soaked string ♪ ♪ Of his rusty old washtub bass ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ All right ♪ ♪ Chupacabra ♪ ♪ The way he moves in the twilight hour ♪ ♪ Searching for something can devour ♪ ♪ Just the sound of his beating heart ♪ ♪ Going louder and louder ♪ ♪ Chupacabra ♪ ♪ Snatching the throats of a careless few ♪ ♪ Who were out in the desert with nothing to do ♪ ♪ A set of razor sharp claws and your life's through ♪ ♪ Chupacabra ♪ ♪ But before he gets a taste ♪ ♪ He plucks the worn-out blood-soaked string ♪ ♪ Of his rusty old washtub bass ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ All right ♪ ♪ Chupacabra ♪ (slow country music) (lively country music) (chill country music) ♪ Chupacabra ♪ ♪ Sick and tired of the same old scene ♪ ♪ Gonna grab his bass ♪ ♪ He's gonna head out east ♪ ♪ To the promised land of the south ♪ ♪ The town of New Orleans ♪ ♪ Chupacabra ♪ ♪ He'll find a gig in a bluegrass band ♪ ♪ Full of mythical creatures, half-beast, half-man ♪ ♪ And never again will the blood of a kill ♪ ♪ Stain his hands ♪ ♪ Chupacabra ♪ ♪ But before he gets a taste ♪ ♪ He plucks the worn-out blood-soaked string ♪ ♪ Of his rusty old washtub bass ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ All right ♪ ♪ Chupacabra ♪ - Well, that's all we have on "Prairie Pulse" for this week.

And as always, thanks for watching.

(bright music) - [Narrator] Funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4th, 2008, and by the members of Prairie Public.