Joshua Henson and Mark Cox
Fermenti Artisan
Indianapolis, Ind.

Sauerkraut holds a place in the heart of many Hoosiers, as many Indianans boast German heritage. Henson and Cox are renewing interest in pickled veggies and other jarred treats. They’re also getting local farmers in on the action.

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Henson and Cox started with a stand at the farmers market, where they met people who could grow their ingredients. “That gave us exposure to farmers,” says Henson. “We could meet them, befriend them, find out what [they’re] growing … and start to develop that relationship where they became interested in growing with us.” Since launching Fermenti four years ago, Henson and Cox have sourced an increasing percentage of their ingredients from local farmers, as opposed to the larger organic commodity market.

This town’s not big enough for all this cabbage!

While they work with some urban growers in Indianapolis, the majority of the produce comes from rural farms. “We ferment tens of thousands of pounds of cabbage every year,” says Henson. “For that kind of space, you have to go outside the city.”

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