Frequently Asked Questions

Check most frequently asked questions here
General Information
Store Information

Questions? Get in touch!

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Email: craftculturesg@gmail.com

Hours: Please click HERE

(By appointment only, contact to arrange)

  • As we are a production kitchen and not a walk-in retail space, we are typically open during selected timings for pickups only. 
  • Pickups by appointment Mon-Fri 0900-1300

Please text or call to confirm we are around before making a trip down.

Address: 183 Jalan Pelikat, B1-113 Promenade @ Pelikat, Singapore 537643 (between Lobby 3 and 4)

Directions: 

  • By MRT: Kovan MRT + 12 min walkSerangoon MRT + Bus 53 or 53M to Hougang Avenue 1 ParkTai Seng MRT + Bus 62 to Hougang Avenue 1 Park
  • By Bus: (3 min walk) Take Bus 53, 53M, 62, 113, 113A and alight at stop "Opp to Yuying Secondary School", which is 1 stop after The Lorong Ah Soo Market. Walk through Hougang Avenue 1 Park and you should be able to see The Promenade at Pelikat.We are located between lobby 3 and 4 of Basement 1.
  • By Car: Please drive into the B2 car park. We are located between lobby 3 and 4 of Basement 1. Parking charges are affordable at 10 min grace and $0.03 per minute thereafter. 

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Storage

Temperature and Time are key--The colder it is, the longer the best by dates.

All Craft & Culture brews are prepared fresh and flat upon delivery and the best by dates for them are entirely dependent on how they are stored after delivery as they are raw products and will continue to ferment on their own. All storage guidelines below are approximate.

Guidelines on Storing Raw Kombucha and Milk Kefir :

  • STORE COLD AT 2 DEGC:Food safety guidelines recommend setting fridges to 2-4 degree celsius. A home refrigerator may operate within a wide range from 1-10 degree celsius. 
  • GAS BUILD UP MAY OCCUR RAPIDLY:when stored at temp higher than 2-4 degC. Gassy brews are indicated by bottles with distended caps. 
  • DO NOT STORE IN A WINE CHILLER / WINE ROOM:The temperature can be around 10-15 degC and will cause gas buildup rapidly.
  • LOW pH MEANS Kombuchas and Milk kefirs safe to consume even when kept for a while / or when they turn fizzy. The organic acids produced create a low pH environment that is unsuitable for harmful bacteria and mould when kept in closed, clean conditions. 
  • HOW TO OPEN WHEN GASSY / CAPS ARE DISTENDED: Chill until very cold, then open with extreme care at the sink (as overflow or spraying might occur). To be on the safe side, enclose in a plastic bag when opening to prevent messes. Do not shake the bottles vigorously before opening. Once opened, pour into a glass and consume as normal.

For Kombucha:

  • Up to 3 days at room temperature (non chia seed kombuchas) 
  • Up to 1 week at 8-10 degC fridge
  • Up to 2 weeks in a 5-7 degC fridge
  • Up to 1 month in a 2-4 degC fridge (IDEAL)
  • Freezing: Extends the shelf life by several months but might cause kombucha to lighten in colour. Nutritional benefits remain the same.

DO NOT attempt to open any chia seed kombuchas when the caps are distended. Please discard. Chia seed will spray and make a mess

For Milk Kefir:

  • is stable for 8-10 hours at room temperature - However, pls chill as soon as you can. 
  • Up to 4 days in a 8-10 degC fridge
  • Up to 1 week in a 5-7 degC fridge
  • Up to 3 weeks at 2-4 degC fridge (IDEAL)
  • Freezing: freezing extends the shelf life by a few months but will cause the clumps to separate and the consistency to become runnier. Blitz in a blender to smoothen texture before consuming. Nutritional and probiotic benefits remain the same (Acceptable but not recommended)
Craft & Culture is not liable for refunds or replacement of products not stored at the recommended temperatures post delivery.

Natural Skin Care :

We create our products in small batches and use natural preservatives, for example fermentation bacteria like Lactobacillus (How cool is that?). We do not encourage the use of our products after more than 6 months after purchase. More “Use By” details are available on product containers and pages. For more FAQs on natural skincare, please visit here.

How and When to Consume

How and When to Consume:

Kombucha and Kefir can be taken together or separately at all times of the day,  but we recommend in the morning on an empty stomach. Research shows that doing so renders the foods consumed later to be more bioavailable for absorption into the body. 

Do not shake the bottle vigorously before opening as contents could overflow.

 


 

If your immune system is weak / have existing gut, digestive and health issues:

 

  • start with 1/2 bottle (250 ml) and observe for any DETOX REACTIONS (diarrhea/ constipation/ headaches/ hives etc). For more information click HERE or HERE
  • If you have detox reactions after consuming, your existing conditions may temporarily worsen. This is normal and expected. For additional support, please contact us and we'll be happy to share more information with you.
  • If you experience a detox reaction, stop for the day, hydrate with water and continue with 1/2 a bottle the next day and until the detox reactions cease. Once the detox reactions lessen, proceed with one bottle a day to repopulate the gut with good bacteria and yeasts. 
  • If there are no reactions, proceed with one full bottle a day for at least 2 weeks.

 

 


 

If you are pregnant or nursing: 

Please refer to our section HERE or HERE

 


 

*Ps. Do note that information provided by Craft & Culture is not intended to treat or diagnose physical medical conditions. In the event that any adverse reactions occur, please exercise good judgement and decide if medical attention is required.

Disclaimer: All experimental benefits listed can vary from person to person. Our products are helpful for many but may have no effect on some.

Detox Reactions / Candida

Candida Die-off Effects

 


 

If your gut health isn’t optimal, sometimes when you first start consuming milk kefir or kombucha, you may experience the “Candida Die-Off”. This happens when you introduce probiotics into your body and yeast cells are rapidly killed, a die-off (or Herxheimer reaction) occurs and metabolic by-products are released into the body.

The Candida yeast cells release 79 different toxins when they die, including ethanol and acetaldehyde. These toxins cause allergic reactions and inflammation that lead to an array of undesirable symptoms.

Die-Off symptoms will vary from person to person, as each will have different degrees of infestation. If you are having severe Die-Off symptoms, reduce your dosage of probiotics. The liver is your main pathway for eliminating toxins, and the Die-Off symptoms mean that it is being overwhelmed.

 


 

Die-Off Symptoms

Fermented foods may have different effects on everyone so here is a list of some of the symptoms you might experience during a die-off (otherwise known as a Herxheimer reaction). 

If you already have immunity / health / bloating / constipation / yeast infection issues and are looking to try fermented products to manage them, do note that your existing symptoms could temporarily intensify or worsen for the first couple of days. This is very normal.

Potential Die-Off Symptoms:

- Nausea

- Headache, fatigue, dizziness

- Swollen glands

- Bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea

- Increased joint or muscle pain

- Chills, cold feeling in your extremities

- Body itchiness, hives or rashes

- Sweating

- Skin breakouts

- Recurring yeast, vaginal, prostate and sinus infections

 


 

STOP ALL CONSUMPTION AND SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IF THERE ARE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

  • Fevers
  • Wheezing
  • Elevated heart rate
  • Itching or tingling feeling around the lips or mouth.
  • Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat.
  • Coughing or shortness of breath.

 


 

Coping with Die-Off effect
These symptoms normally clear up within a few days or so, but could last a little longer (so hang in there). However, there are a few things you can do to slow down this reaction or expel the toxins faster.

 

  • Reduce your dosage of fermented products for the day.
  • Increase water intake to flush out the toxins faster.
    If you want to feel better, all those byproducts that are released by the Candida yeast need to leave your body. You can give them a push by drinking more water.
  • Continue with daily consumption until these symptoms cease to allow the body to detox more efficiently. With time, your gut biome should rebalance
  • In the event your detox reactions do not cease within 1 week of daily consumption, please cease consumption. You may be intolerant to the compounds in fermented products.

    For example: intolerance to milk proteins in dairy. This is different from lactose-intolerance.

 

 


 

*Ps. Do note that information provided by Craft & Culture is not intended to treat or diagnose physical medical conditions. In the event that any adverse reactions occur, please exercise good judgement and decide if medical attention is required.

Disclaimer: All experimental benefits listed can vary from person to person. Our products are helpful for many but may have no effect on some.

Gift Options & Packing

Packaging

-All bottles will arrive in reusable plastic bags.

-If you'd like to gift our brews to friends and loved ones, we would like to recommend ordering 15 x 250 ml brews and indicate in the notes section of your cart with "gift box of 15".

-Kindly note that we offer a free gift box for every 15 x 250 ml bottles ordered by request only.
We regret that we are unable to provide: 

  • -gift boxes for orders less than 15 bottles
  • -multiple boxes for less than 15 bottles per box,  for eg. 7 in a box, 8 in another box. 

Notes

Note options are available for all orders. Just indicate your message in the Notes section at checkout, and we'll include a message for you! We also have birthday cards available for free!

Gift Cards

Alternatively, Craft & Culture also offers GIFT CARDS that can be redeemed any time. Please click HERE for more options

Bottle Returns and Refills

Free photo portrait of young beautiful dark-haired woman wearing blue t-shirt drinking water at summer green park..
Craft & Culture accepts returns for our bottles at our store!

We will sanitize all bottles with industrial grade sanitizer before re-use.

Conditions: Bottles have to be cleaned, dried and left uncapped

All wet, damp, dirty bottles that have food/liquid residues in them will be discarded due to food safety reasons. 

PLS NOTE

  • -Store Drop off: Pls leave bottles outside our store by hanging on the door handle OR you can also choose to do refills with your own bottles! Please see section on Refill Campaigns HERE
  • -Delivery Pickup: If you have an existing order with delivery arranged, we may be able to collect the empty bottles from you. Please msg us first as some of our drivers are freelance and may not return to our kitchen after. Pls note that we are unable to make a dedicated trip to pick up empty bottles without an existing delivery order. 
________

Are food grade, BPA-free PET bottles safe to reuse? 

Yes! Pls see here for a medically reviewed article with primary sources from peer reviewed scientific journals. An excerpt from the article states: 

"PET has been tested extensively and no evidence of migration of toxic amounts of chemicals from the plastic to the contents has been found.

PET is approved for both single-use and repeat-use as a drink container by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Canada, European Food Safety Authority, and other health and safety agencies worldwide."

PET is absolutely safe for reuse and there is no significant and conclusive evidence to support that chemicals might leach from the plastic into the water you are drinking and that bacteria can grow in the bottles once they are opened.

Citations: 

  1. Welle F, Franz R. Migration of antimony from PET bottles into beverages: Determination of the activation energy of diffusion and migration modelling compared with literature dataFood Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2011;28(1):115-26. doi:10.1080/19440049.2010.530296

  2. Bach C, Dauchy X, Chagnon M-C, Etienne S. Chemical compounds and toxicological assessments of drinking water stored in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles: A source of controversy reviewedWater Research. 2012;46(3):571-583. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2011.11.062

  3. Raj SD. Bottled water: How safe is it?Water Environ Res. 2005;77(7):3013-8.

Exchange & Return Policy

Beverages

All orders, including subscriptions, once placed are strictly non-refundable.

In the event that there are extenuating reasons, all outcomes are subject to owner's discretion.

Please contact us and we will do our best to help. 

As our beverages contain live cultures, please be aware that slight differences in taste and colour are possible, subject to our climate.

Please refer to cases below (not limiting) that we do not exchange or refund for. Unless grossly misrepresented or errors were incurred on our part, all sales are final. That being said, please feel free to let us know if you have an issue and we’ll be more than happy to resolve them.

Case 1: Everyone's threshold of tartness is different and what may seem tart to some, is not for others.

We do not refund or exchange brews based on sour tastes as all bottles are prepared fresh in our kitchen, with stringent taste/quality guidelines and stored in temperature-controlled conditions before delivery. After being chilled, our brews are stable at room temperature for several hours which is why we are able to delivery our brews without cold trucks or ice packs.

We recommend that if you find our brews too tart, to dilute with water for kombucha or milk for milk kefir to taste.

Case 2: Color differences in Brews

We do not refund or make exchanges based on colour. Our bacteria are live and have different activity rates, so for example, the same batch of rose milk kefir might be pink or perhaps white. Until now, we have yet to solve the color mystery but one thing remains for certain--The taste remains the same!

Case 3: The bottle/cap is bulging slightly.

Not to worry, it's not an indicator that the brews have gone bad. Your product is raw and unpasteurized. When fermentation occurs, natural acids are produced, lowering the pH. This acidic environment inhibits the growth of harmful microbes and mould from forming

Our brews also contain live cultures that respire, creating gases. These gases saturate the brews and cause natural carbonation! If you see caps that are bulging, make sure you pop the bottle into the fridge and chill it well before opening for a zesty, carbonated brew! Never hake vigorously and never open bulging bottles at room temperature as they will likely overflow.

That being said, do not attempt to open:

  • Chia-Seed kombuchas. that have distended caps. They will spray. Please discard.
  • All bottles or caps that are heavily pregnant. They will spray. Please secure in a plastic bag and discard.

Case 4: There is some chia on the outside of the bottle / clumped at the neck of the bottle

Our production team fills chia by hand and due to static, there may be cases where there is some chia seed that remain on the bottle surface while filling. While we do quality checks, we might sometimes miss some stray seeds.

lumpy chia seeds are not an indicator of a leak or that the brews are not safe to consume. When fermentation occurs, natural acids are produced, lowering the pH. This acidic environment inhibits the growth of harmful microbes and mould from forming. If there are clumps of chia in the neck of the bottle, please simply shake to mix. Chia are edible wet or dry.

Case 5: My brews overflowed/gushed out when i opened them

The kefirs and kombuchas when kept properly, can last for one month when stored in low temperatures of 2-4 Degree Celsius with no gas buildup or change in quality. 

When there is any overflow due to gas buildup, this is an indicator that storage conditions are warmer than the usual 2-4 degC, which is why the fermentation is proceeding--This does not mean that your brew are unsafe for consumption. Kindly open with care. See HERE or HERE

Case 6: My Kombuchas or Kefirs are fizzy/not fizzy 

Unlike other brands, Craft & Culture’s brews are raw, unpasteurized and intentionally prepared fresh and flat. The best by dates are entirely dependent on how the brews are kept post delivery. 

Please see HERE or HERE for storage guidelines.

Case 7: I'm not experiencing the benefits as mentioned on your website

Disclaimer: The information provided by Craft & Culture is not intended to diagnose physical medical conditions. Our products are not a medicine, and are not intended to cure or treat existing health conditions. All experimental benefits listed can vary from person to person.

Everyone's bodies are unique and different. While our products are helpful for many, there may not have a positive effect on some. Like all natural remedies, it may take some time before you see a positive difference. In the event that any adverse reactions occur, please exercise good judgement and decide if medical attention is required.

Skincare

We use natural materials in all formulations and organic produce when possible. Before using our fermented skin care products, please perform a patch test on your skin and wait 24 hours before full application. If any irritation occurs, rinse generously with water and discontinue use.


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