Austin Fermentation Festival
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Austin Fermentation Festival has become a famous yearly event that provides great fun and great business opportunities to local interested in fermentation. This interest could be in regards to how to start or expand your fermentation business or just an interest in what your family eats and how healthy it is.
The festival stars on October 20th but it’s important to apply for being a part of it earlier since there’s a complicated process for doing so. It is a part of Texas Farmer’s Market and they have clearly set guidelines on how to work with them in regards to eco-friendly business practices.
What Is It?
The festival is an annual event set in Austin that has a purpose of celebrating all things related to fermentation. It’s set the Muller Park and at the Farmers Market nearby. It starts at 10am and ends at 4pm on the same day.
Part of the festival is educational about the process of fermentation and the business behind it and part is simply about promoting the businesses that do it and selling their products in a convenient way. It’s therefore an event for both the experts and the general public.
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What’s Fermentation?
Fermented foods (What wine goes well with fermented foods?) such as kombucha have gained popularity in recent years mostly because of its health benefits, but even those who buy it don’t always know what it is. It’s a process that has been used for centuries if not more with a goal preserving the food over winters.
Bacteria are used to conserve the food, but the research has shown that it does much more than that. It increases the bio vitality of the minerals and thus the amount of vitamins and probiotics the food contains. It therefore helps the immune system and overall health of those who use it.
Workshop
The main part of the festival at least for those who actually work in this area is the workshop that teaches about fermentation in a practical way. The lectures will be held by experts in the field and there will be a q and a section after each lecture.
This is an especially important feature for those who want to get into this line of work and don’t yet have a clear plan and clear idea of what it takes to be productive and be lucrative in the end,.
Tickets
The tickets for the event are free. However, you’ll need to apply for them online. That’s something to be quick about since there’s a great interest for the event and you may run out of time if you don’t get the tickets on time. There are donations you could give at the event but these are optional.
The tickets will get you into the workshop, to the expanded farmers market, and give you a taste of the dishes made with fermented food by local chefs. There’s also a live music event that you get to attend with this ticket.
How To Be A Vendor
There are other ways for a local business to benefit from this event, and that’s mostly about being a vendor and using the festival to showcase your goods. The Texas Farmers Market very much praises itself on the fact that it has strict guidelines as to who can work with them, and this is the case for vendors as well.
Applications for vendors need to be submitted before September 9th. You’ll need to provide short information about your business and about having the proper licenses and permits as well as your practices in regards to running your business in an eco-friendly way.
Being A Sponsor
The event is sponsored by local businesses and it also gets help from the city government. There are two ways to be a sponsor – one is via a silent auction and the second is via public support for which you’ll need to contact the market and make arrangements.
The Market and the Festival promote their sponsors both during the event and on their site in a form of special thanks for their effort. You could also support the event without using it for promotion if that’s how you prefer to do it.
Conclusion
Austin fermentation festival is a unique event celebrating farming and agriculture in Austin. It’s a festival, a market and a workshop all at once made promote the fermentation as a great addition to healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet. It starts in October but you should apply for free tickets or you spot amongst the vendors before that.
It’s an event that’s mostly focused around a practical workshop in which you could learn how to ferment your own food and make a living out of it. That’s something that’s been done for centuries and still deserves attention and explanation.
Interested in creating your own fermented food? Try our hot pepper fermentation guide to make your very own homemade hot sauce (how long does hot sauce last?)!
