A Liverpool couple who turned a personal health scare into a thriving gut health business are celebrating an extraordinary first year, having sold more than 11,000 products, won prestigious food awards and secured a growing number of retail stockists across the North West.
Daniel Fisher-Jones and Alice Critchley launched Wild Pantry in October 2025 with a mission to improve people’s gut health through naturally fermented foods and drinks. Less than a year later, the couple are aiming for a six-figure turnover, moving into a larger industrial unit in Ormskirk and are preparing to take their award-winning products nationwide.
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But behind their remarkable success is a deeply personal story that began when Daniel was diagnosed with a precancerous gut condition. After experiencing years of reflux and indigestion, Daniel received a diagnosis in early 2025 that prompted him to explore natural ways of supporting his digestive health alongside conventional medical advice. Their research led them to the world of fermentation, which has since proved life-changing.
The couple attended a festival in South Wales and learned how to ferment foods and drinks themselves. Alice started making lightly sparkling water kefir and sauerkraut at home, and within weeks they both noticed improvements. Daniel began feeling better and having less reflux, while Alice experienced relief from bloating that had troubled her for years. Daniel also reports that he was eventually able to stop taking his medication.
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Daniel explains: “This was never meant to be a business. It started with us making ferments at home for ourselves, then sharing them with family and friends. When they started coming back asking for more and telling us about the difference they were feeling, something clicked. We realised that what had helped us could help other people too. That’s really where Wild Pantry began. What’s happened since, especially in our first year, has gone far beyond anything we could have imagined.”
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What began as a personal mission has quickly developed into one of Liverpool’s exciting emerging food and drink businesses. Wild Pantry specialises in small-batch water kefir and fermented foods, made using organic ingredients and traditional fermentation techniques. Its products are raw and unpasteurised, retaining the live cultures produced during fermentation. The couple’s aim is to make gut-friendly food and drink accessible, enjoyable and, most importantly, delicious.
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Their range includes refreshing, lightly sparkling water kefir in flavours such as Elderflower Champagne, Ginger and Turmeric, Strawberry and Kiwi, Winter Berry, Mojito and Piña Colada. They also produce an innovative selection of fermented foods, including Fermented Salsa, ImmuniKraut and their bestselling PowerKraut, made with beetroot, red onion, garlic, turmeric and black pepper.
PowerKraut has proved particularly popular with customers. Perfect served on sourdough bread, it is also a versatile accompaniment to salads, sandwiches and a variety of everyday meals. Since launching in August 2025, Wild Pantry has sold an impressive 11,000 units and with delivery available throughout the UK, the meteoric rise is set to continue.
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Alice says: “For me, one of the loveliest parts has been getting to know the people who buy our ferments. We’ll meet someone at a market, they’ll come back a few weeks later for another jar or bottle, and then they’ll tell us how they’ve made Wild Pantry part of their everyday routine. We now have people who have been coming back to us since our very first markets.”
She continues: “To go from making everything in our home kitchen to having our own production space and seeing our products on the shelves of independent shops across the North West feels quite surreal. But it’s those conversations with people that still mean the most to me.”
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Wild Pantry’s remarkable first year has also been recognised with a string of prestigious industry awards and nominations. The couple enjoyed double success at the Nature Made Food & Drink Awards 2026, receiving Master of Outstanding Flavour awards for both their Fermented Salsa and Elderflower Champagne water kefir.
Their bestselling PowerKraut has also received a coveted Great Taste Award for 2026, an achievement that marks an important milestone for the young business. The Great Taste Awards are widely recognised within the food and drink industry, with products judged on their flavour and quality. For Daniel and Alice, the recognition is particularly significant because it demonstrates that their products can appeal to customers on taste alone, as well as to those interested in supporting their gut health.
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Their success hasn’t stopped there. Wild Pantry was named a finalist for North West Food & Drink Startup of the Year at the UK StartUp Awards and is now preparing for two more major award ceremonies. The business is a finalist in the Best Start-up category at the MIB Awards, taking place in October, and has also been shortlisted for the Sustainability Award at The Guide Liverpool Heroes Awards in November.
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At the heart of Wild Pantry is Daniel and Alice’s passion for introducing more people to fermented foods and the role they can play in a balanced diet. Fermentation has been used to preserve food for thousands of years, but interest in fermented products has grown alongside increasing awareness of the gut microbiome and its relationship with wider health.
Their products have attracted support from gut health experts and nutritionists, while customers have shared positive experiences through numerous five-star reviews. Customers have reported improvements in issues including bloating, fatigue and acid reflux, although individual experiences vary and fermented foods should not be considered a treatment or cure for medical conditions.
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With demand continuing to grow, Daniel and Alice are already looking beyond Merseyside as they prepare for the next stage of their business journey. Having established a growing network of stockists across the North West, their ambition is to expand nationally, introduce Wild Pantry to new customers and build a team capable of supporting the company’s growth.
In less than a year, Daniel and Alice have transformed a personal health journey into an award-winning business, sold thousands of products and established Wild Pantry as a growing name in the North West’s independent food and drink scene. With two more awards ceremonies on the horizon and plans for national expansion already taking shape, the couple’s first anniversary looks set to be just the beginning.
Daniel Fisher-Jones & Alice Critchley / Wild Pantry
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