04/11/2026
Thanks Eamon and team at The Kilmorna Collection for the support and explosive introduction!!!
FERMENTATION IS A LOVELY IDEA UNTIL YOU OPEN THE BOTTLE AND IT EXPLODES.
Sarah Fitzgerald has had some experience of this.
A few years ago, she wrote about experimenting with naturally fermented soft drinks.
Some worked beautifully, others failed completely, and occasionally the contents ended up decorating the kitchen when the bottle was opened.
These early experiments were part of Sarah's growing interest in fermentation, which eventually developed into her business, The Green Green Gate, producing kombucha and other drinks here in Kerry.
Sarah grew up in Kerry in a house built by her grandfather, who had once operated a shop from the premises. The bedroom she shared with her sister had previously been his shop.
Her grandmother made soda bread, apple pies and what Sarah remembers as particularly good meat pies. She also grew vegetables and flowers. Sarah's mother, Peggy, was another keen gardener and even managed to grow corn in a greenhouse in Kerry.
Sarah went on to study hospitality and worked in hotels and restaurants, including time spent travelling and working abroad.
She has written about growing ginger, making kefir, producing natural soft drinks and experimenting with everything from beetroot and ginger to pineapple and turmeric.
Kombucha itself is fermented tea, made using bacteria and yeast. It's become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly because of the reported health benefits.
Sarah has been selling her products at local markets for years now.
Even the name has a history.
The Green Green Gate was an actual gate on her family's land, where Sarah, her cousins and friends used to arrange to meet when they were children.
There's a connection between the family growing and preparing food, Sarah experimenting with her own recipes, and eventually bringing those products to market.
Sarah's been doing this for years, learning through experimentation and gradually developing something she can sell.
So we've decided to introduce The Green Green Gate's kombucha at The Kilmorna Collection.
We'll be stocking their drinks alongside our existing coffee and cold-drink selection.
Hopefully Sarah will forgive me for opening the article with the exploding bottles.
Those were the early experiments.
No accidents here....
