Agroecology in a Glass: Spontaneous Fermentation with Succession Fermentory

In this episode of the Poor Proles Almanac, Andy sits down with Keith Hartwig, the co-owner and founder of Succession Fermentory, a farmhouse-based business located in Cochranville, Pennsylvania. Operating out of the permaculture-based Stella Lou Farm, Succession Fermentory is built on three core pillars: community, local sourcing, and natural fermentation.

Keith discusses their "place-driven" approach to brewing, which utilizes mixed culture and spontaneous fermentation to create beers, meads, and ciders that reflect the unique seasonality and terroir of their region. By eschewing chemical stabilizers and filtration, they allow natural microbes from the environment to transform local ingredients into complex fermented products.

Key topics in this conversation include:

• The American Plum Project: A deep dive into the collaboration with plant expert Zach Elfers to reintroduce and brew with native species like the Chickasaw and Wild American plum, which offer a depth of flavor and acidity far beyond conventional varieties.

• Agroecology and Sourcing: Succession’s commitment to a 60-mile sourcing radius and their efforts to encourage farmers to reintroduce native, disease-resistant plants into the landscape.

• Storytelling through Label Art: How the brewery uses whimsical narratives—such as a Pleistocene ground sloth dispersing pawpaws—to connect customers to indigenous history, deep time, and local ecology.

• Community and Education: Their role in hosting skill-sharing workshops, ranging from tree grafting and beekeeping to controlled meadow burns, all aimed at sinking "deep roots" into the local community.

• Meaningful Growth: Keith’s vision for horizontal growth, including a new project to identify and propagate bio-regionally adapted cider apples that can thrive without heavy chemical inputs.

Whether you are interested in the technical side of wild fermentation or the philosophical side of land stewardship, this episode explores what it means to create a business that serves as a "succession plan" for the landscape.

Where to find Succession Fermentory: You can follow their work on Instagram or join their curated mailing list via their website. If you are in the Philadelphia area, you can visit their tasting room at A Man Full of Trouble Tavern, the city's only remaining pre-revolutionary war tavern.

For sources, transcripts, and to read more about this subject, visit: www.agroecologies.org

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Key words: Succession Fermentory, farmhouse brewing, natural fermentation, spontaneous fermentation, mixed culture, agroecology, permaculture, local sourcing, 60-mile radius, community, circular economy, wild American plum, Chickasaw plum, American Plum Project, native ingredients, pawpaw, megafaunal dispersal, deep time, storytelling, label art, horizontal growth, land stewardship, succession, Stella Lou Farm, Zach Elfers, bio-regionally adapted, cider apples, wild yeast, regenerative agriculture, Cochranville, Pennsylvania, A Man Full of Trouble Tavern, Philadelphia, fermentation workshops, tree grafting, controlled burn, sustainability

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