Our Story
Good food feeds the body, mind, and soul.
“Food as Medicine” has been part of our values system for a long time now.
When we discovered the incredible benefits of culturing live probiotics, it literally changed our lives.
Digestive issues that had been a lifelong struggle were solved in a matter of days, and we were surprised to discover how having a healthy gut not only affected the digestive tract, but our entire body’s wellbeing—our sleep improved, we had more energy, fewer tired aches and pains in the body, and even our mental clarity and moods felt more at ease.
It was around 2015, that we started growing our own food and fermenting Water Kefir cultures. They were gifted to us by our aunt/sister-in-law Isabel, who taught us how to make them delicious and fizzy… So naturally, we called them Kefir Sodas!
At the time, it seemed like nobody else in Penang were making and selling Kefir drinks, so when Patie was invited to open a stall at the Straits Quay Farmer’s Market in 2016, we jumped at the chance!
That year, we started selling Kefir Soda every weekend at pop-up markets around the island.
Our probiotic sodas were a hit!
We were soon outgrowing production in our little home kitchen so the hunt was on for a dedicated fermenting base. Coincidentally, The Pharm was an urban gardening project Nicole had started separately, but since our passions in health, fermentation, and nature aligned, we decided to keep the name for our Kefir Sodas too.
In 2017, we found a tiny little hut in a small corner of the Hin Bus Depot... and The Pharm Hut was born!
Our team at the old Pharm Hut at the Hin Bus Depot with the owner Mr. Tan
We had a good couple of years in that space, and decided to open a second location right before the pandemic hit. By June 2020, we had to give up our original Hut and moved everything to our new location on Gat Lebuh Acheh, right in the heart of old George Town.
The original Pharm Hut at Hin Bus Depot
The new store at 10 Gat Lebuh Acheh!
Today, we still make six fruity flavours of Kefir Soda by hand every week at our shop. We’ve also included Kefir Yogurt, Kefir Milk, Kefir Bread, Kefir Plant-Milks and Smoothies, Nut Butters, Herbal Oils and more.
We love experimenting with live cultures and concoctions, so keep an eye out for what else we’re cooking up!
Our products at available in store, and at a few select cafes and organic shops on the island.
You can also Shop Online —
We deliver across Peninsula Malaysia!
