100 day returns
Popular Brands
Collect In-store
Free shipping on orders over $150*
Symbiota Milk Kefir Kit
Need today? Please call us to see if pick up is available at our Wairau Valley store today as our stock changes daily (if we have sold out new stock will only be days away)
What is Milk Kefir?
Milk kefir is a fermented dairy product. It is similar to drinking yogurt and buttermilk. Milk kefir ferments dairy milk into milk kefir at room temperature, generally within 12- 48 hours. The process of milk kefir starts with milk, ferments to a milk kefir, to a thicker drinking yogurt, and then finally it splits into whey and fermented kefir. This can then be used to make kefir cheese. When milk kefir splits, this is an indication it has fermented for too long or at too warm a temperature if you are wanting a drinkable milk kefir. Read more
What is Milk Kefir?
Milk kefir is a fermented dairy product. It is similar to drinking yogurt and buttermilk. Milk kefir ferments dairy milk into milk kefir at room temperature, generally within 12- 48 hours. The process of milk kefir starts with milk, ferments to a milk kefir, to a thicker drinking yogurt, and then finally it splits into whey and fermented kefir. This can then be used to make kefir cheese. When milk kefir splits, this is an indication it has fermented for too long or at too warm a temperature if you are wanting a drinkable milk kefir.
Although genuine kefir grains have common strains of bacteria, some grains vary slightly from one to the next. Symbiota’s kefir grains originate from multiple sources to maximise the diversity of bacteria, leading to stronger milk kefir grains and yummier, healthier milk kefir.
Milk kefir grains will last a lifetime if correctly cared for.
What are the benefits of milk kefir?
- Low in lactose and can often be consumed by people who are normally lactose intolerant
- Diverse probiotic profile
- Great source of vitamins and minerals
- Supports gut healing and gut health
- A more powerful source of probiotics than yogurt
- Rich in probiotic bacteria
How to make milk kefir
Milk kefir is really easy to make. You simply need milk kefir grains and milk to ferment. One tablespoon of milk kefir culture/grains can ferment one litre of milk into delicious probiotic-rich milk kefir.
Add your milk kefir grains to your milk in your glass jar and leave to ferment. One liter of milk with one tablespoon of milk kefir grains will generally ferment within 48 hours at temperatures between 18 and 22 degrees Celcius. If you ferment less milk, or you ferment at higher temperatures this can ferment in as little as 12 hours. For example, 1L of milk with 1 TBS milk kefir culture at 24 degrees will ferment in 12-24 hours.
Once fermented to your desired taste, drain your fermented milk kefir drink while reserving your cultures to repeat the process. Your culture will last a lifetime if looked after- no need to buy more culture.
Please note, if you are going to use raw milk, milk kefir generally does better when the milk has been pasteurized. This is so the bacteria in the milk kefir and raw milk do not compete against each other. Some people have success using raw milk, but this can be problematic for others if it is not pasteurized.
Milk kefir can be flavoured with a variety of fruits and herbs to keep you coming back for more.
What does my milk kefir kit include?
- 1L Symbiota glass jar
- 1 Tbs of milk kefir grains/culture nourished with a local dairy's wholesome milk
- 1 Stainless steel Strainer
- Elasticated Cotton top cover
- 1 stainless steel Lid
- Instructions, recipes and ongoing support.
Shipping
Shipping Costs:
Free shipping for orders over $150!
These are our current shipping charges below:
Auckland (Orewa to Pokeno) - $8
Auckland Waiheke Island (Waiheke can incur an extra charge for bulky items - our team will get in touch if needed - see below) - $20
North Island Urban - $9
North Island Rural - $11
South Island Urban - $11
South Island Rural - $16.50
We know there's nothing more exciting than your online order arriving on your doorstep as quickly as possible which is why we try our very best to process all orders on the day they are placed!
While we try to have most products in our store and warehouse at all times if the product is not in stock we will order from our New Zealand-based suppliers. We will contact you to advise you of this and inform you of any delivery delays.
We focus on keeping our product prices as low as possible rather than building shipping costs into the price and then offering "free" shipping on everything. These fees are not about making money but simply recouping the shipping costs particularly for larger items.
NZ Islands Courier Charges:
If you order with us and live on a NZ Island like Waiheke and Great Barrier etc our customer care team will contact you immediately to discuss freight charges/options.
We focus on keeping our product prices as low as possible rather than building shipping costs into the price and then offering "free" shipping on everything. We therefore pay the courier fees ourselves however the fees to the Island communities have become so exorbitant we can't cover all of those costs and will discuss options.
Bulky Items:
Additional charges may also apply to bulky orderthat measure outside the normal courier package parameters. Our friendly customer care team will contact you right away if this is the case.
Processing Times:
All orders are processed during business hours (9 am – 5 pm Monday to Friday.) Orders made on weekends and public holidays will be processed the next business day.
While we try to have most products in our store and warehouse at all times if the product is not in stock we will order from our New Zealand-based suppliers. We will contact you to advise you of this and inform you of any delivery delays.
Track and trace:
We work exclusively with NZ Couriers for delivery. Once your package has left our building and been scanned on board by the courier you will receive an automated email from us with your track and trace details so you can follow its progress.
Please note: queries for missing/lost items must be completed within 14 days of despatch and queries for damaged items within 7 days of delivery. If you do not lodge a query with us within these time frames, we will be unable to make a claim with NZ Couriers.
Stock Availability
Although we are a family owned and run business with finite resources we do try and stock a broad range of products in our store and warehouse. With over 115 brands and 6,000 products sometimes we rely on our supplier partners and their warehouses to access some stock. If we don’t have a product in stock when you order it, we will do everything we can to get it as fast as possible for you.
All of our suppliers (apart from one) are New Zealand based with their own warehouses and we receive deliveries from them a few times a week so if we don’t have it, we will get it quickly. Our team will always reach out to you if it’s not in current stock to ensure you know when it will arrive (mostly within 2-3 days).
Returns and Warranty
Returning an item:
Home Essentials makes returns easy by letting you return your purchase to us within 100 days for a full refund or exchange. All you have to do is get it back to us. Please note that for us to accept a return, the product just needs to be unopened, unused, undamaged and in the original packaging.
Change of mind:
If you receive your order and have a change of mind, you can return your purchase to us within 100 days (from the date of purchase) for a full refund or exchange.
Please note to accept a return, the products need to be unopened, unused, undamaged and in the original packaging. If your returned product does not meet these requirements, we contact you to discuss.
Arrange your return in 3 steps:
Step 1: Contact our friendly customer care team.
Step 2: Post your product back to us or drop it off at our
store. (Postage is not covered by Home Essentials).
Step 3: Once we receive your returned product, we will
process your refund within 24-48 hours.
Contact details:
Email – enquiry@homeessentials.co.nz
Phone – 09 218 7498
Address – Unit O, 18 Link Drive, Wairau Valley 0627
Damaged Package:
If your package arrives looking a bit worse for wear, please give us a call at 09 218 7498 within 48 hours of receiving your package. Our customer care team will organise a replacement for you right away. If your item was damaged in transit, please keep all the original packaging (including the courier bag/box).
Faulty Product / Warranty:
We make it a priority to quality-check all items when we are processing orders. We are sorry to hear that any of our customers receive a product that is faulty.
If you feel that your product is not working as it should or has a manufacturing defect, please call our customer services team to report the issue. The next step will be either to drop the product into our store or post it to us at Unit O, 18 Link Drive, Wairau Valley 0627.
When we receive the faulty product, we are required to send the product and/or photos of it to our suppliers for assessment. This is a condition under the manufacturer’s warranty.
All our suppliers are New Zealand-based suppliers so it will not take too long and we will always keep you updated on the process. Once the issue has been assessed and deemed to be a manufacturing fault by our suppliers, we will then contact you immediately and replace or refund the product.
If it is deemed to be faulty due to misuse, then we will contact you to discuss a suitable solution. Please note that the freight cost will be refunded if it is deemed a manufacturer’s fault however if it isn’t then we will ask you to cover the freight cost.