OMO Launches Ferment Lab and OMO For Later Retail Line in Gurgaon

OMO has expanded its fermentation-led programme with the launch of The Live Alchemy and OMO For Later at DLF Galleria, Gurgaon. The initiatives extend the restaurant’s work in fermentation, preservation and ingredient-led cooking into research, guest experiences and retail.

Led by Culinary Director Chef Chetna Chopra, OMO has built its menu around seasonal produce, preservation techniques and live-fire cooking. The new Ferment Lab will serve as an R&D space for developing fermented ingredients, beverages, condiments and other components used across the kitchen.

The restaurant is also using the lab to explore ways of reducing kitchen waste. Banana peels are being used to produce Mexican-inspired Tepache, while oyster mushroom stems are fermented and incorporated into OMO’s in-house hot sauce.

The programme includes research into regional fermentation practices, with the restaurant undertaking field visits across India. Its latest R&D trip to Darjeeling resulted in the addition of Tongba, a millet-based fermented drink, to its work.

Chef Chetna Chopra said, "I've always been interested in what happens when ingredients are given time. Some of the most exciting flavours emerge when you're willing to wait. Growing up, fermentation was everywhere around us, in pickles, batters, preserves and drinks that quietly carried seasons forward and ensured nothing went to waste. At OMO, fermentation has never existed as a separate idea. It has always been part of how we cook, how we preserve, how we build flavour and how we connect with ingredients. The Ferment Lab is simply a way of sharing that journey more openly. It is also an opportunity to learn from and celebrate the incredible fermentation traditions that already exist across India."

The fermentation programme currently covers products such as house-brewed kombuchas, rice ferments, fruit wines, ginger beers, preserves and condiments. Among the seasonal preparations are Sticky White Rice Ferment, Black Sticky Rice Ferment, Wild Ginger Beer, Bael Kanji, Jamun Wine and Tongba.

These techniques also feature in dishes on the OMO menu, including Black Rice Kimchi Fried Rice, Avocado Dosa with fermented tomato sesame chutney, Watermelon Aguachile, Tender Coconut Ceviche, Naga Chilli Cauliflower and Mango Caldin Curry.

Through The Live Alchemy Bar, OMO plans to offer tastings, workshops and collaborations focused on fermentation, seasonality and indigenous food practices, creating a dedicated format for guests to engage with the restaurant’s R&D work.

Alongside the Ferment Lab, OMO has introduced OMO For Later, its first retail offering. The line brings selected restaurant-made ferments, preserves, condiments and beverages into a take-home format.

The initial range includes kombucha variants such as Mango & Turmeric, Pineapple & Mint, Pomegranate & Rose, Orange & Gondhoraj Lime and Kashmiri Plum Umeboshi. The collection also includes chutneys, relishes, flavoured butters, fermented crackers, homemade turmeric sourdough bread, Mango Shorshe and OMO’s Naga Chilli Hot Sauce.

The move gives OMO a second business touchpoint beyond dine-in operations, allowing the restaurant to sell products developed through its kitchen and fermentation programme directly to consumers.

The launch reflects a broader shift among restaurants towards extending kitchen-led concepts into retail, while using fermentation and preservation to create products with longer shelf life and reduce food waste. For OMO, the Ferment Lab and OMO For Later bring its existing focus on seasonal ingredients and preservation into R&D, experiential programming and packaged food.