Hello everyone,
I’m new to the forum and still learning my way around, so if this isn’t the right place to ask these questions please let me know.
My name is DK and I’m based in Texas. I’m currently working on building a fermented food business focused on kimchi.
I'm currently selling my kimchi to friends and co-workers but scaling into retail and grocery distribution is the challenge for me currently as there are laws, regulations, and safety standards to meet.
Right now I’m trying to understand the product development and sourcing side of the business, and I’m hoping some of the experienced entrepreneurs here might be able to point me in the right direction.
A lot of questions I’m currently trying to figure out:
I’m trying to figure out if it’s better to:
• Partner with a co-packer
• Find an existing fermented foods manufacturer
• Or continue producing locally until the volume justifies outsourcing.
If anyone has experience working with co-packers for food products, I’d really appreciate any insight or recommendations.
Does anyone have experience sourcing organic ingredients at scale, specifically things like:
• Organic Napa cabbage
• Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• Sea salt
• Garlic / ginger
Are there specific distributors, farms, or importers that are good for this?
Is it better to work with:
• Local label printers
• Online suppliers
• Or packaging companies that specialize in food products?
Any recommendations or lessons learned would be incredibly helpful.
For those who have experience with fermented foods:
• How do companies manage consistent shelf life?
• Are there common techniques companies use to stabilize fermentation without killing the probiotics?
For anyone who has experience with refrigerated food products:
• How do smaller brands typically handle cold chain logistics?
• Do distributors usually require a certain scale before working with you?
• Is starting with local retailers and building regional distribution the normal path?
Right now I’m making small batches, but I’m trying to think ahead.
For those who have scaled food products:
• At what point did you move to a commercial kitchen or co-packer?
• What were the biggest challenges when scaling a food product?
• Are there mistakes you wish you avoided early on?
I originally started making my own kimchi because I didn’t like what I was seeing in many store-bought products — plastic containers, unnecessary additives, wasn't vegan, and ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or artificial preservatives. I started selling kimchi about 10 years ago was a little side hustle and that's just kind of where it's been at.
At the same time, my wife was going through a cancer journey, which pushed me to learn much more about nutrition and gut health. That led me deeper into fermentation and eventually into the idea of turning this into a business that I can scale.
Now I’m trying to learn the practical side of building a real food product company.
If anyone here has experience with food manufacturing, co-packers, sourcing, or scaling a packaged food product, I’d really appreciate any advice.
And if these aren’t the right questions to ask yet, I’m open to hearing that too.
Thanks in advance.
DK
I’m new to the forum and still learning my way around, so if this isn’t the right place to ask these questions please let me know.
My name is DK and I’m based in Texas. I’m currently working on building a fermented food business focused on kimchi.
I'm currently selling my kimchi to friends and co-workers but scaling into retail and grocery distribution is the challenge for me currently as there are laws, regulations, and safety standards to meet.
Right now I’m trying to understand the product development and sourcing side of the business, and I’m hoping some of the experienced entrepreneurs here might be able to point me in the right direction.
A lot of questions I’m currently trying to figure out:
1. Manufacturing / Co-packers
Does anyone know of companies in the U.S. that manufacture fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut?I’m trying to figure out if it’s better to:
• Partner with a co-packer
• Find an existing fermented foods manufacturer
• Or continue producing locally until the volume justifies outsourcing.
If anyone has experience working with co-packers for food products, I’d really appreciate any insight or recommendations.
2. Organic ingredient sourcing
One of the core values of the brand is using clean, simple ingredients.Does anyone have experience sourcing organic ingredients at scale, specifically things like:
• Organic Napa cabbage
• Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• Sea salt
• Garlic / ginger
Are there specific distributors, farms, or importers that are good for this?
3. Label sourcing
I’m also trying to figure out where most small food brands source their labels.Is it better to work with:
• Local label printers
• Online suppliers
• Or packaging companies that specialize in food products?
Any recommendations or lessons learned would be incredibly helpful.
4. Shelf Life & Fermentation Control
Since kimchi is a living fermented product, the flavor and carbonation change over time.For those who have experience with fermented foods:
• How do companies manage consistent shelf life?
• Are there common techniques companies use to stabilize fermentation without killing the probiotics?
5. Cold Chain & Distribution
Kimchi needs to be refrigerated.For anyone who has experience with refrigerated food products:
• How do smaller brands typically handle cold chain logistics?
• Do distributors usually require a certain scale before working with you?
• Is starting with local retailers and building regional distribution the normal path?
6. Scaling Production
Right now I’m making small batches, but I’m trying to think ahead.
For those who have scaled food products:
• At what point did you move to a commercial kitchen or co-packer?
• What were the biggest challenges when scaling a food product?
• Are there mistakes you wish you avoided early on?
Background (why I started this)
I originally started making my own kimchi because I didn’t like what I was seeing in many store-bought products — plastic containers, unnecessary additives, wasn't vegan, and ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or artificial preservatives. I started selling kimchi about 10 years ago was a little side hustle and that's just kind of where it's been at.
At the same time, my wife was going through a cancer journey, which pushed me to learn much more about nutrition and gut health. That led me deeper into fermentation and eventually into the idea of turning this into a business that I can scale.
Now I’m trying to learn the practical side of building a real food product company.
If anyone here has experience with food manufacturing, co-packers, sourcing, or scaling a packaged food product, I’d really appreciate any advice.
And if these aren’t the right questions to ask yet, I’m open to hearing that too.
Thanks in advance.
DK
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