Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Hollander.
Casper Fermentables was started by Ben Hollander in 2016. After years of working in fine dining, and graduating from UT where he studied biology and global food systems (notably under Prof. Raj Patel), Ben decided to start a business of his own. Ben’s mom is Korean and his Dad is Jewish so he grew up eating both of those types of foods. Ben’s mom is a chef and was an owner of Yoshinori Udon in Seoul, South Korea, but moved to the DC area around 1991 to start a family. When Ben moved to Austin to attend UT, he was unable to find authentic kimchi or kombucha anywhere around, so he started fermenting his own kimchi and brewing his own kombucha following his mom’s recipes. The kimchi recipe is actually from Ben’s grandma and goes back thousands of years in his family! Casper Fermentables Kombucha focuses on high quality, ethically sourced, direct-trade tea. The resulting tea-focused kombucha is low sugar and loaded with honest to goodness probiotics. They make kombucha out of high quality teas that tastes amazing and is truly nourishing and healthy! For the first few years of his business, Ben sold only his Kombucha and fermented veggies (kimchi, jalapeños, turmeric kraut, and more) at the local farmers markets and through wholesale accounts.
Then, in the spring of 2020, With the help of his friend Sam Zeitlin, Ben introduced a whole other side to his fermentation company; sourdough. Since beginning to sell his sourdough bread, bagels, focaccia, and sweets, Casper Fermentables is making a huge splash in the local Austin food scene. The unique, Montreal style sourdough bagels have been trending throughout Austin and have started to draw long lines at the farmers markets! Their customers can’t get enough- we make more than 1000 bagels a weekend! Also in the Spring of 2020, Ben was joined by his partner Phoebe Raileanu. Together they have greatly expanded the wholesale aspect of the company and the kombucha and veggies are now available all over the region (soon to be at Central Market). Ben and Phoebe are looking forward to the opening of their Brick and Mortar.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running a small business has not always been easy. Ben has had to face many obstacles. In the beginning, Ben didn’t even have a car and he would take the bus for hours and miles a day going back and forth from his kitchen to make deliveries all over Austin. Ben worked by himself for the first few years and it wouldn’t have been unusual for him to spend 14 or more hours alone at the kitchen brewing, bottling, and packaging. Casper did not have its official first employee until the winter of 2019! Being a minority owned business, Casper has also faced discrimination from some local organizations and businesses- it hasn’t always been easy to make a name for ourselves in the local food community. Traditional food media narratives can be somewhat exclusive and difficult to break through. Cultural representation through food is extremely important to Ben and many other children of immigrants. Ben takes huge pride in his privilege to represent cultural foods and traditions that often are subject to appropriation in the food industry.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Casper Fermentables?
Casper Fermentables is a local food company, specializing in vegan fermented vegetables (kimchi and turmeric kraut), sourdough breads and single origin, low sugar kombucha. Every product we make is deeply influenced by our Korean and Jewish roots and we take great care to ensure our products are both incredibly healthy, ethically sourced, and environmentally conscience. We use very few ingredients to specifically support the gut health and micro-biome of our customers and combine flavors to bring out the delicious taste found in nature. We’re based in Austin and have been growing steadily for the past few years through sales at farmer’s markets and local retailers. Our Bread is made with local Whole Grain Flour and is available baked fresh on Saturday and Sunday Mornings. We currently work out of the Sustainable Food Center, but we are looking forward to opening our own kitchen very soon. We are proud to bring authentic Korean and Jewish flavors to the Austin Community.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
– If you are interested in having us on draft, carrying our bottles or jars in your store, or wholesale bread for cafes and restaurants, please email Phoebe@casperfermentables.com
– For catering or special order inquires please email casperfermentables@gmail.com
– Want to work with us? We are always open to someone who might be the right fit! Please email phoebe@casperfermentables.com
For everyone else, please continue to come out and see us at the Markets, keep buying our bottles and jars at one of our many retail locations, and hold on tight for news of our upcoming Brick and Mortar Location!
Contact Info:
- Email: casperfermentables@gmail.com
- Website: www.casperfermentables.com
- Instagram: @casperfermentables
- Facebook: facebook.com/casperfermentables
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