FERAL

FERAL is a startup based in the Italian Dolomites, in Mezzolombardo, within the Piana Rotaliana area of Trentino, Italy. Its production facility sits between Trento and Bolzano, surrounded by Teroldego vineyards and apple orchards, at Località Maso Parti 2A, 38017 Mezzolombardo. The producer says the concept originated around Christmas 2021, and the process was developed over roughly two years of research before the product launched.^[1],[2]

The founding insight, as the producer frames it, was the question of whether the ritual of wine, beer, and the friendly toast could exist without alcohol. The inspiration traces to founder Maddalena Zanoni's experience with wildflowers and medicinal herbs in the mountains of Trentino. In late 2021 Zanoni attended a fermentation course in Bologna led by Flavio Sacco, where she met Sebastiano; first recipe development began after that meeting. Early recipes were developed together with a Flemish scientist named Floris. During recipe development, FERAL identified lactic acid bacteria as a core ingredient and fermentation ally.^[3]

FERAL transitioned from kitchen-based DIY production to a dedicated facility, which it calls the 'Fermentery' (also rendered fermenteria), after securing its first client, the restaurant Joia in Milan. The producer identifies Joia as its first aspiring Michelin-starred client. Joia's sommelier Antonio tasted FERAL N°1 in 2022 and described it as 'Extraordinary,' becoming an early validator. The Mezzolombardo warehouse was discovered through a tip from a childhood friend of Zanoni's, and its renovation began in autumn 2022.^[1]

FERAL's first commercial batches were hand-bottled by a group of family, friends, and volunteers referred to internally as the 'FFF — Family, Friends & Fools.' The producer hired a lead brewer named Andrea, who had previously worked at a craft brewery in Rome, to oversee production. FERAL aimed to release its first batch for sale by Christmas 2022, but early production faced microbiology issues that disrupted the initial launch timeline. Zanoni also authors a startup diary blog, launched as a monthly series beginning 20 May 2025.^[1]

Name. The name 'Feral' refers to an animal or plant that was born in captivity but returned to the wild. The producer frames this as symbolizing a gentle rebellion against mapped-out paths and a celebration of exploration beyond the norm. One source also glosses the English word as meaning 'free' and 'wild.'^[4]

FERAL was founded by a group described as botanists, scientists, chefs, and farmers. Its founder is Maddalena Zanoni, from Trentino, who goes by 'la Madda.' Before founding FERAL, Zanoni studied in Milan, Vancouver, Barcelona, and Paris, and worked in business consulting and in a role at Alpro in Flanders. She experienced a personal crisis at age 32 that led her to spend two months at a mountain hut in Trentino caring for goats and medicinal herbs.

In preparation for founding FERAL, Zanoni completed a sommelier course, traveled to Copenhagen to study fermentation, and attended a fermentation workshop with Flavio Sacco in Bologna. She describes the brand's ethos as rooted in Trentino's borderland identity — Austrian grandparents, Italian parents — valuing rural simplicity over luxury.

FERAL's core concept, as the producer states it, is creating sophisticated botanical non-alcoholic drinks that replicate the ritual of wine and beer. Its stated mission is to challenge conventions by uplifting forgotten, marginal, and underground plants. The producer's philosophy centers on using fermentation to create elegant, refreshing acidity in non-alcoholic drinks. The drinks are designed specifically for gastronomic meal pairing as an alternative to wine.^[3],[4]

FERAL self-describes its product category as non-alcoholic botanical fermentations (FAB), or FERmented ALternatives, and states that it holds a patent on its process as the first to use it. This positioning frames the range as a category of its own rather than a substitute product.

FERAL publishes an annual sustainability report, and has published one for 2024.^[5]

FERAL produces fermented botanical drinks that contain no alcohol. The current lineup comprises six beverages: N°1 White Beet Hop Szechuan Pepper, N°2 White Beet Ginger Allspice, N°3 Red Beet Pepper Thyme Oak, N°4 Red Beet Lavender Juniper, N°5 Pét-Nat Rosé, and N°6 Cook The Mountain. The first four references are still (bubble-free), because the lactic bacteria strains used do not produce carbon dioxide; only N°5, the Pét-Nat Rosé, is sparkling.^[6]

N°1 is built on white beetroot, hops, and Sichuan pepper, with a touch of chili; it carries the nickname 'OB-SESSION,' was first developed in 2022, and remains FERAL's highest-volume product. It is positioned as an alternative to kombucha. N°5 is made with birch sap, aronia, and botanicals, contains less than 0.5% vol alcohol, and carries an aromatic profile and structure that can resemble a rosé. N°6, 'Cook The Mountain,' is a fermented white-beet-based drink built around alpine botanicals. The Mountain Box pairs N°1 and N°6, which share white beetroot as a common ingredient.

FERAL builds its drinks by starting from organic roots, spices, herbs, and wild fruits, then mixing, infusing, and allowing lactic fermentation to occur, and blending those ferments with macerated ingredients. Maceration with herbs, flowers, and berries is used in combination with fermentation to transform the flavor of beetroot. All extractions and macerations are produced in-house; the producer states it uses no preservatives and sources botanicals directly from plants — leaves, flowers, berries, roots, and woods.^[3],[6]

Patented lactic fermentation. The process uses a patented lactic fermentation that does not produce alcohol or carbon dioxide, converting sugars in beet juice exclusively into lactic acid. It does not use a SCOBY; instead it employs carefully selected specific strains of lactic acid bacteria, which develop a mild acidity naturally and make the drinks well-suited for food pairing similarly to wine. This lactic route is the base of the still references N°1 through N°4, and N°6, whose fermentation is likewise based on lactic acid bacteria with each batch tested by certified laboratories to guarantee the absence of ethanol.

Ancestral bottle fermentation. N°5 Pét-Nat Rosé uses ancestral fermentation — a traditional technique of fermenting in the bottle without filtration or subsequent additions — with selected yeast strains producing a fine natural bubble and less than 0.5% vol alcohol. It is the only sparkling reference in the range.

Pasteurization. The beverages are pasteurized using a patent-pending technology described as making them shelf-stable and safe for pregnant women without ruining organoleptic characteristics.

Beetroot bases. White and red beetroot serve as the fermented foundations across the range.

• N°1 — white beet base (white beet juice from concentrate at 15%), fermented to a round, fresh acidity with hints of honey and elderflower, macerated with hops and Sichuan pepper plus a touch of chili; white beetroot was historically considered so humble it was once fed to pigs
• N°2 — white beet with ginger and allspice
• N°3 — red beet with pepper, thyme, and oak
• N°4 — red beet with lavender and juniper
• N°6 — fermented white beet base (white beet juice from concentrate at 20%), shared with N°1

Alpine, foraged & botanical components. The macerated and botanical components draw on woods, spices, flowers, and wild fruits.

• N°1 — hops, Sichuan pepper, chili
• N°3 — oak wood (the reason N°3 is not yet certified organic, as no organic alternative has been found)
• N°4 — lavender, juniper
• N°5 — birch sap, aronia, and botanicals
• N°6 — fennel seeds, linden flowers, mountain pine, juniper berries, sage, mint, and chili pepper, following the 'Cook the Mountain' philosophy of using only alpine ingredients; also includes grape verjuice, linden honey, and apple cider vinegar

Sourcing & production standards. FERAL ferments, macerates, and bottles all products in-house at its fermenteria in Mezzolombardo, in the province of Trento. It collaborates with organic-certified farmers for its ingredients rather than growing its own. The producer states its beverages contain no sulfites or declarable allergens, use no preservatives, and are naturally gluten-free with no cereals or gluten-containing ingredients.

FERAL's drinks are described as complex, spicy, persistent, and multidimensional — not sweet and not sparkling (with the exception of the sparkling N°5). Its mild acidity is developed naturally by selected microorganisms during fermentation. The white beet drink has been described as having good body, a spicy flavor, and a slightly acidic note. N°1 shows citric, fresh, spring notes of lychee, elderflower, white peach, and ginger, described as 'a botanical rave party in a zen garden.' N°5 shows strawberries, raspberries, and light floral touches, described as crisp and refreshing with good acidity, while N°6 offers white flowers and honey over a layered, refreshing palate.

Nutrition. FERAL contains approximately 19 kcal per 100 ml, roughly three times fewer calories than wine, with a maximum of 4.3% residual sugars. Individual references vary: N°1 is 17 kcal per 100 ml with 3.7 g carbohydrates (all sugars), and N°6 is 17.5 kcal per 100 ml with 4.4 g carbohydrates (3.0 g sugars) and 0.03 g salt.

Service & pairing. FERAL recommends serving its beverages in a wine glass and provides pairing and serving temperature suggestions for each product. N°1 is served at 8–10°C, yields 7 servings per 750 ml bottle, and pairs with vegetables, fish, and white meat. N°6 is served chilled at 8–10°C, yields approximately 7 servings per bottle, and is designed to pair with fresh cheeses, fish, and plant-based cuisine, and can also be enjoyed as an aperitif.

N°6, 'Cook The Mountain,' was created in collaboration with Atelier Moessmer*** by Norbert Niederkofler, a restaurant ranked among the world's top 50, following the 'Cook the Mountain' philosophy of using only alpine ingredients. N°6 is not vegan because it contains linden honey, and is not yet certified organic as of its release, with certification in progress.

FERAL is stocked at multiple Michelin-starred restaurants across the UK, Belgium, and France, its retail and on-trade stockists spanning the UK, Belgium, France, and Spain. Named venues include Boury (3 stars, Roeselare, Belgium), Bartholomeus (2 stars, Knokke-Heist, Belgium), The Chick (2 stars, Mechelen, Belgium), Vrijmoed (2 stars, Gent, Belgium), Bulrush (1 star, Bristol, UK), HJEM (1 star, Hexham, UK), KOL (1 star, London, UK), Julien (1 star, Lievegem, Belgium), Publiek (1 star, Gent, Belgium), Table d'amis (1 star, Kortrijk, Belgium), and Restaurant L'Axel (1 star, Fontainebleau, France). An early stockist was Joia in Milan, the Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant of Pietro Leemann, described as the first Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant in Europe.

FERAL was featured as a product designed specifically for gastronomic pairing, described as an adult beverage rich in volume and texture, and in Raisin magazine, which described its drinks as having aromas, textures, and flavors akin to natural wines. FERAL has received over 1,199 customer reviews.^[6]