Symbiota Water Kefir Kit Complete Kit - Jar, lids, utensils, organic sugar and culture
What is water kefir?
Water kefir is a very easy-to-make fermented drink from culturing water. Symbiota offers complete kits that take all the guesswork out, all you need is water! Water kefir is rich in probiotics, has a delicate flavour and makes a great alternative for soda drinks. Read more
What is water kefir?
Water kefir is a very easy-to-make fermented drink from culturing water. Symbiota offers complete kits that take all the guesswork out, all you need is water! Water kefir is rich in probiotics, has a delicate flavour and makes a great alternative for soda drinks.
Water kefir can be flavoured with fruits, spices and herbs, yielding a beautifully fizzy gut-healthy drink. Water kefir is a similar concept to other fermented beverages such as kombucha, but instead of having a SCOBY water kefir is fermented from water kefir culture also referred to as water kefir "grains".
Water kefir grains are small "jelly-looking grains" made up of bacteria and yeast.
How do I make water kefir?
This kit supplies you with everything you need and is very easy for anyone to make. All you need is filtered or unchlorinated water.
You simply dissolve sugar in water, add your culture to the sweetened water and then leave it to ferment at room temperature for 24-72 hours depending on the temperature. The warmer the temperature is, the faster it will ferment.
The ideal temperature for fermenting and culturing water kefir is between 22 & 24 degrees Celcius, but it can still ferment between 18 and 26 degrees Celcius.
Water kefir culture metabolizes the sugar and in turn, you are left with fermented water kefir loaded with probiotic bacteria, minerals and vitamins- great for gut health!
Once your kefir is fermented, strain off the fermented liquid (reserving your culture) add your choice of flavours to the fermented kefir, bottle and leave it to sit at room temperature for another day or two. This will result in the flavours infusing and a fizzy drink.
Now your reserved culture is ready to ferment the next lot of sugar water. Your water kefir culture will last a lifetime if cared for correctly.
What does my water kefir kit include?
- 1L Symbiota Glass Jar
- 3 Tbs active water kefir grains- enough to ferment 1L in 24hours or you can choose dried water kefir culture if you do not plan to ferment your kefir soon after receiving it
- Water Kefir Food (organic sugar mix to support health grains)
- 1 Stainless steel lid (does not rust unlike metal lids)
- 1 Stainless steel strainer
- Elasticated cotton top/lid
- Instructions, recipe 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.