Milk Kefir Guide

We have made a great amount of ferments over the years at KoruKai Herb Farm and used a fair bit of pounders. We know what makes a pounder fabulous.
This one is made to our measurements and is well-designed for pounding vegetables and tightly packing them into jars or crocks for best fermentation.

The wood is untreated beech.

Measurements: length 30cm, top diameter 4cm, bottom diameter 6.1cm. Easy and comfortable grip with a tapering of 3.5cm diameter.

Please note: Measurements can vary slightly as each one is handmade and unique.

Expected to arrive mid week (11th March). Orders will be dispatched as soon as we receive them. 

This Fermenting Flask from Culture Cupboard is perfect to keep your kefir at a steady temperature without the nightly lows in winter and the mid day highs in summer.

It is also amazing to make your own yoghurt without the need for an electric yoghurt maker.
The flask comes with a glass jar and a recipe book to make your own dairy and dairy-free yoghurts.

Newly updated guide with more recipes and tips. A fresh FAQ section has also been added.

This guide covers all the basics that you need to know to create probiotic, healthy, fizzy water kefir sodas.
It includes instructions how to make the frist and the second ferment and includes recipes and flavour combinations.

You will get the guide as downloadable pdf so make sure you enter the correct email address when placing your order. Please look for an email with the subject line: [KoruKai Herb Farm] Files available for your order

If purchasing our KoruKai  Water Kefir Grains or our Water Kefir Kit this eGuide is included with your purchase.

Last update: 22nd June 2022

Must have for cheesemaking, kefir cheese and yoghurt cheeses.

Made with certified organic cotton.

Size: 1.5m x 1m

Certified organic water kefir food containing sugar, molasses and micronutrients to feed your water kefir grains optimally. This pack contains the food for water kefir grains only, you need to have your own grains or buy them from us.

This way they stay healthy and produce a better probiotic fizzy drink for you and your family.


Available in 100g, 500g and 1kg bulk pack in a home-compostable, biodegradable pouch.


Containing only certified organic ingredients so that your water kefir grains can thrive (do not come with the grains). Without any roundup or other agricultural chemical residues, which could have a negative effect on the microbes in the water kefir.

This glass fermentation weight is just what you need to make ferments successfully at home.
Place it over your shredded vegetables and fit a fermenting airlock on the jar.
They are also great to make homemade apple cider vinegar.

Diameter is 70mm, depth 25mm
Weight: 170g +/- 10g

The weight fits most wide mouth preserving jars. Always measure the top diameter of the jars before placing an order. Make sure that the diameter does not get narrower further down.

This weight fits our 1 litre Glass Jar with stainless steel compound lid.

One weight is $8.50

This silicone fermentation airlock and stainless steel band is perfect for keeping lacto-fermented pickles and drinks under an airlock during fermentation and storage. As pressure builds up gas pushes out the top of the spout without letting air in.

Diameter of airlock is 8.4cm

One airlock with ring is $8.90

For airlocks without ring please go here.

pH strips are a quick and easy way to check the acidification of your cheese and ferment.

In a lactic ferment and in cheese making beneficial microbes are underway to turn plant sugars and lactose into lactic acid.

This acidification can be measured and ensures your ferment or your cheese is on the right track.

For most cheeses timing of salting is really important; you want the fermentation to be just at the right acidity before you apply salt to slow it down.

Stainless Steel Strainer for Milk and Water Kefir Grains

10 cm diameter

Small round stainless steel sieve with a fine wire mesh.
Perfect for use when straining the kefir grains out of the finished kefir. It can also be used for sieving flour or draining food.

We will make a big batch in a certified cheesery once a year so you can stock up when needed. We have it available over the next week. Orders can be made until 3rd May, 8am. We will ship it on the 4th May.

Fully booked! To go onto the waiting list please sign up below. 

This is an informative workshop for anyone interested in healthy food. No cooking skills are required. You will walk away with some easy recipes that you can implement in your own kitchen using basic equipment.

Date: Saturday, 2nd May 2026
Time: 10am-2:30pm

Location: KoruKai Herb Farm, Pigeon Bay, Banks Peninsula
1 hour from Halswell, Carpooling from Chch is usually possible.

Wholesome lunch included!

Please find Terms & Conditions as well as our cancellation policy here. When signing up for this workshop you automatically agree to the Terms & Conditions. Please make sure to read them.

500ml food screwtop jar and white foodseal cap used for our milk kefir kit.

Capacity: 500ml

Diameter: 9.9cm

Height: 10cm

Cap size: 9.2cm

We only use certified organic food and filtered spring water to grow our grains!

Make your own fizzy, probiotic drink to benefit your digestive tract.

Perpetual culture, use over and over again. 

3 Tbsp of fresh or 1 Tbsp dried organic water kefir grains (choose below) to make 1 litre of fizzy, probiotic drink every 48 hours.

Come with our comprehensive Water Kefir eGuide with recipes for lots of inspiration.

We recommend our Water Kefir Complete Food to feed the grains optimally.

Shipment of fresh water kefir grains every Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a public holiday). Orders and payments need to be in by 4pm Saturday to get shipped the following Monday.

The Ultimate Dairy Yoghurt Guide

Learn how to turn dairy milk into healthy and delicious natural yoghurt without any additives.

With recipes turning yoghurt into a variety of soft cheeses and dips and using it for baking to enhance nutrient availability and flavour.

This eGuide contains 40 pages of detailed instructions and links to demonstration videos on how to make thermophilic and mesophilic yoghurt on a perpetual basis as well as recipes to turn your yoghurt into special dishes - from yoghurt icing for a cake to yoghurt cheese balls and labneh (please find the table of contents below).

This is an ebook and will be available as a pdf to download once your order is placed.

We have put together this kit for anyone wanting to make their own apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar is easy and satisfying to make at home and the health benefits are numerous.

A lot of cider vinegar in the supermarkets are pasteurised and filtered. This removed the microbiome of the vinegar and you won't get the maximum health benefits from it.

Fermentation jar with airlock and glass weight.

One thing that should be in just about everyone's diet are fermented or cultured foods. Not only are they packed with flavor, but they're positively brimming with probiotics.

Those little microorganisms support your immune system and help to revive and maintain gut health. Fermented foods are also rich in B vitamins, food enzymes and key antioxidants that support healthy cells.