The real deal cheese maker and farmer and the person behind my Kefir grain is Eva from Nuart cheese and her family clan Eva-Maria und Daniel are part of the farm and its activities. Eva’s brother is a chef and has a restaurant in a nearby village named: I visited her recently with chef Adonia: https://mesubim.com/category/tothalassaki and we tried her last cheese and yoghurts for the winter season: https://mesubim.com/?s=nuart

I met Eva over ten years ago, and it was through her that I received my first kefir grains, originally gifted from David Asher himself: @theblacksheepschool and from the first batch, it was clear—this was the real deal.

My Kefir grain is now growing each day until it splits itself and propagates for sharing

These grains carry a lineage, a microbial heritage that stretches far beyond any laboratory culture or store-bought bottle labeled “kefir.” They are alive, symbiotic, and self-sustaining—just as Asher describes in his work. Unlike the “fake kefirs” that populate supermarket shelves, made from isolated, non-propagating bacterial strains, the true grains passed from hand to hand—like those from Eva and David—represent an ancient and biodiverse ecosystem that continues to thrive.

Over the years, these grains have been fed, nurtured, neglected, revived, and shared again. Yet their vitality remains unbroken. Each feeding feels like a small act of stewardship—continuing a biological tradition that has survived across centuries and cultures, from the mountains of the Caucasus to modern kitchens around the world.

Making kefir with these grains is more than fermentation; it’s participation in a living culture. Every jar of thick, tangy kefir carries the invisible collaboration of bacteria and yeasts working in harmony, expressing the very essence of natural cheesemaking that Asher celebrates.

Eva’s gift, passed on from David, is not just a starter—it’s a reminder that some of the most powerful cultures are those that can’t be manufactured, only shared.