Funky Fermenteria

Artisanal kombucha and fermented products workshop – Nervesa della Battaglia (TV), Veneto

Infusions, time, and microorganisms: the designer who left everything to ferment, in the heart of the Prosecco kingdom.

Don Quixote in the Kingdom of Bubbles

There's a place in Italy where opening a non-alcoholic beverage lab requires special courage: the Veneto region of the Prosecco hills, where the glass is a liturgy and bubbles are an identity. It's precisely there, between Conegliano and the Piave River, that Giulia Faraon has planted her flag. "Talking about non-alcoholic beverages in Veneto is like Don Quixote tilting at windmills," she admits, laughing. But this time, the windmills have started to turn in her favor: because her bottles aren't the renunciation of something—they're the discovery of something else. Welcome to Funky Fermenteria: an effervescent lab exploring fermentation.
 
 
 

The designer who surrounded herself with bustling vases

Giulia has always had a passion for cooking, but life had taken her elsewhere: industrial design studies, freelance work in Milan, then an agency in Treviso. It was during Covid that the first jars appeared on the counter at home: "I started like many do, because I'm very passionate about cooking. And then my boyfriend has always had digestion problems, so I wanted to try kombucha." What was supposed to be a home remedy became a happy obsession: three years of experimentation, trials, tastings, and notebooks, while the fermenting jars multiplied around her. Until the designer realized that her most beautiful project wasn't on a screen: it was bubbling away quietly in the kitchen.
 
 

 
 

 The good madness

“It was crazy. I was feeling overwhelmed by my job, so I quit a permanent contract. I decided to take the plunge and see how it went.” In October 2023, Giulia transformed a small part of her home in the Treviso area into a Home Food Business and officially launched Funky Fermenteria: an ultra-artisanal space where she literally does everything herself, from designing the labels—her designer soul is a constant—to the last drop of kombucha in the bottle. She gave herself a year: make or break. It went so well that today the lab has grown, but not the philosophy: small batches, about 300 liters a month, “because with larger productions the flavor changes.” For Giulia, growth isn't about doing more: it's about making lots of small batches, all done well.
 
 
 

What does funky mean?

In the gastronomic lexicon, "funky" describes eccentric and unconventional tastes: a slightly wild natural wine, a raw milk cheese that doesn't ask permission. But funky also means carefree, lighthearted, playful. The name of the fermentery was born precisely from this dual spirit: a curious and informal approach to new ways of drinking, exploring the less traveled path of non-alcoholic beverages. Because—this is the question that started it all—"if I don't drink alcohol, what should I drink at the table that isn't as banal as water and can hold its own against a plate?" The poor non-alcoholic beverage, socially bullied as a second choice among sugary drinks and artificial flavors, finally deserved a serious answer. And the answer, for Giulia, is lively and sparkling.
 
 
 

The SCOBY ritual

It all starts with the SCOBY, the "mother" of kombucha: a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that transforms tea into a fizzy drink, reducing its sugar content. Giulia's ritual is simple and uncompromising: first, a tea infusion "like you'd make at home, but larger," respecting the timing, water temperature, and the best leaves, because only good tea makes good kombucha. Then the SCOBY and a little sugar, a clean cloth over the top, and the patience to let the microorganisms do their work. After about two weeks, when the sugar has almost entirely been metabolized, spices, herbs, or fruit arrive; finally, the wait for effervescence and bottling. These are living products, never pasteurized or microfiltered: inside each bottle remain the probiotics, organic acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants that make kombucha an ally of the microbiota—that "second brain" that plays a major role in our well-being.
 
 

 
 

Giulia's Creatures

Funky Fermenteria's blends are created by a sommelier's understanding of non-alcoholic beverages, focusing on three factors: body, aromas, and acidity. Cardamom and Ginger is a blend of Assam and Ceylon black teas fermented with cold-pressed ginger juice and cardamom pods, a tribute to the Indian culture of infusing spices. Hemp and Lemon, made from Chun Mee green tea, is the most tart and herbaceous, designed "for slightly fatty vegetable dishes, because it cleanses and refreshes." Sichuan Pepper and Citrus plays with grapefruit, lemon, and orange zest, along with that pepper that "numbs the mouth a little, recreating the sensations of alcohol": born for Asian cuisine, perfect as an aperitif. And then there are the adventures: the Kombucha Lagunare with inula marina, a saline plant rediscovered with the Tidal Garden environmental project; the recipes commissioned for bars; the small batches of kimchi, sauerkraut, and fermented lemons. Because Giulia believes in connections and networking: she collaborates with friendly businesses and shares her knowledge through workshops and customized recipes.
 
 
 

An effervescent future

Today, Funky Fermenteria is proof that you can toast in a thousand ways: mid-morning instead of coffee, post-workout, as an aperitif or at the table, pure or as a base for signature mocktails. Lively, beneficial, and alcohol-free beverages, created by combining infusions, time, and microorganisms—and a healthy dose of Venetian courage. At Al Passo Food, you can discover Giulia's creations: different bubbles, from the land of Prosecco. Don Quixote, this time, has won.
 
 
 

Follow us on Instagram for lots of news: @alpassofood

We answer all your questions about WhatsApp