Tina’s great-grandfather was a baker from the Netherlands. When he immigrated to the U.S. he started a small bakery in Grand Rapids, MI, where her grandmother also worked. Making food by hand and sharing it with others has been a common theme in our lives and is carried through our work as Oracle Ferments.
In 2017, we began baking small-batch sourdough loaves in Oracle, AZ as a way to connect with our neighbors and provide a healthy food option in our small town. With the closest grocery store 35–40 minutes away, Oracle is considered a food desert, and we wanted to help fill that gap. What started as a community-focused effort soon grew into a deeper love of fermentation, preservation, and gut health. Tina began experimenting with vegetables and fruits, steadily expanding her knowledge and skills in fermentation.
Today, we’re a small but mighty two-person team: Austin still bakes fresh sourdough every Wednesday in Oracle, while Tina crafts all of our fermented goods.
At the farmers market, you’ll find vacuum-sealed sourdough pizzas (perfect for last-minute dinners and a tradition in our own home—our 3-year-old asks every Wednesday, “Is it pizza night tonight?”). We’ll also be bringing vacuum-sealed scones, sauerkrauts, vinegars, kombucha, salad dressings, kvass, a variety of pickled vegetables, plus our specialty pesto and red pizza sauce.
We look forward to connecting with our greater community and sharing the beauty of natural fermentation. And if you’re ever in the area looking for homemade sourdough bread, we bake fresh loaves every Wednesday for pickup in Oracle!
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