Lacto-Fermented Sodas Workshop: A Look Back at Last Sunday’s Session

A comprehensive fermentation workshop in Dubai for chefs, bartenders, and flavor-driven creators exploring low-sugar, living sodas

Last Sunday, we hosted our latest Lacto-Fermented Sodas Workshop in Dubai, bringing together a diverse group of chefs, bartenders, and fermentation enthusiasts united by a shared curiosity: how can fermentation become a natural source of acidity, sweetness, and carbonation—without added sugar?

Across the session, we explored the core ferments that form the backbone of modern, low-sugar, microbially driven sodas. Rather than relying on commercial starters or refined sugar, participants learned how living cultures can create vibrant, functional beverages through natural enzymatic and bacterial processes.

What We Covered

The workshop focused on five foundational ferments, each offering its own microbial ecosystem and creative potential:

• Ginger Bug – the wild, versatile starter that forms the foundation of naturally carbonated sodas. Participants made their own ginger bug to take home and nurture.

• Water Kefir – a clean, fruit-sugar–driven ferment producing probiotic, naturally sparkling drinks.

• Whey-Based Sodas – using whey’s 40+ beneficial strains to build complex acidity and gentle sweetness.

• Sour Amazake Sodas – merging koji’s enzymatic transformation with lacto-fermentation for layered, no-added-sugar flavors.

• Modern Kvass – a fresh interpretation of Eastern European tradition, balancing grain, fruit, and acidity.

To explore flavor in a clean and controlled way, we used Andros Chef frozen fruit purées, which offered consistency, clarity, and natural brightness without the need for added sugars or artificial aromatics. Their purity made it easier to understand how each ferment develops character across its stages.

What Participants Took Home

Everyone left with:

• A living ginger bug starter they built themselves

• Active kefir cultures

• Koji to continue experimenting

• Premium access to all the cosmos society materials

• A clearer understanding of how to apply microbial processes to modern beverage development

The aim wasn’t to produce finished sodas on the spot, but to deepen microbial literacy—helping participants recognize the variables that drive fermentation: sugar content in fruits, temperature, pH, microbial balance, and ingredient choice. With this foundation, they can begin building sodas tailored to their own environments, menus, and palates.

Looking Ahead

Workshops like this remind us why fermentation continues to resonate across culinary and beverage communities: it’s sustainable, it’s creative, and it empowers makers to transform overlooked ingredients into something vibrant and functional.

For everyone who joined us on Sunday—thank you. Your questions, curiosity, and willingness to rethink soda through the lens of fermentation made the session truly memorable.

More workshops are coming soon, along with deeper dives into koji, fermented acidity, and zero-waste beverage development. Until then, happy fermenting—and take good care of your ginger bugs.