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Botanical Brew opens ferment-focused Funk cafe in Geelong

Gail Thomas

Funk stocks Botanical Brew kombuchas and shrubs.
Funk stocks Botanical Brew kombuchas and shrubs.Rainer Spoljaric

The Spoljaric family who run Geelong's Botanical Brew have turned their online shop into real-world business Funk, a fermentation concept store for dining in and stocking up.

Botanical Brew sells fermented drinks such as jun (a cousin of kombucha, made from green tea and honey), shrubs (fermented drinking vinegars) and sauerkraut. These are now for sale at Funk, along with ferment-focused food by Lilly and Tony Spoljaric and their sons Rainer and Evan.

"We want Funk to be the go-to for our own ferments, pickles and preserves plus other local and rural businesses," says Rainer. "We use Kazbah Coffee Roasters from Birregurra, Schultz organic dairy and local wines, sauces and cheese."

Evan Spoljaric slicing cabbage for sauerkraut at Funk.
Evan Spoljaric slicing cabbage for sauerkraut at Funk.Rainer Spoljaric
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Think sandwiches and smallgoods, barbecued sausages with housemade sauerkraut, and soup with 30-hour-fermented ciabatta bread.

As much as possible, dishes use produce from the property's garden: a comprehensive vegetable patch planted by the Spoljarics complements an orchard planted by the previous owner, a vet and keen gardener.

Funk @ Botanical Brew, 152 Shannon Avenue, Geelong West, 0499 555 090, Wed-Sun 7.30am-5pm; botanicalbrew.com.au

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