Cultured Love is a new food-based startup operating out of the Grand Rapids Downtown Market incubator kitchen. The founders, Jodie Krumpe and her husband Paul, are passionate and curious about the intersection between food, health, and nutrition. "Cultured Love's mission is driven by a desire to spread the idea that 'food is medicine,' that what we eat has a significant impact on our overall well-being, our psychology, our digestion, our ability to fight disease," explains Paul Krumpe, who serves as head of business operations at the new venture.
The couple moved to West Michigan from northern Virginia, where their interest in "food as medicine" was catalyzed when several family members contracted Lyme Disease, which led Jodie to research chronic illness and the value of fermented food to help people increase their health. "I love the idea that food is medicine and that it works and can make a significant difference," she says.
The business was licensed in August to work at the Downtown Market's kitchen incubator and currently produces a line of "specialty krauts," which includes traditional sauerkraut with caraway, dill kraut, and spicy kraut. The products are naturally fermented and hand-crafted.
Jodie Krumpe says the business is a source of joy for her: "We have found that food that is good for you can also be really tasty and fun to eat. These specialty krauts are our first products to fit that profile, with great taste, brilliant color and fresh texture, loaded with natural probiotics from the fermentation process."
You can buy Cultured Love at at the the Downtown Market's outdoor farmers' market, Relish Green Grocer, and Fulton St. Farmer's Market. The duo is actively working on expanding their distribution through local specialty stores.
Jodie Krumpe says she is working on developing more products and services that she hopes to be able to announce in the spring. In the meantime, the plan is to focus on their line of krauts and refine their production capabilities. "Our hope is that through our hand-crafted foods, healthy products, and informative education we can help you culture a little more love in your life," Krumpe says.
To learn more about Cultured Love, you can visit their
website here.
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor
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