// END-USER INSIGHT //

While there’ s been innovation in smoothies and fresh soups, instant soup didn’ t keep up. It had been left behind, still relying on cheap oils, sugars, bulking agents and flavour enhancers. At Soul Kitchen, we wanted to reimagine the format from the ground up.

We use gently dehydrated vegetable powders that retain as much nutritional value as possible. For example, 1kg of our tomato powder is equivalent to around 18kg of fresh tomatoes. Whether it’ s a quick 11am snack, a nourishing desk lunch or something to warm you up late afternoon, our soups are an easy way to get more veg into your day.

It’ s been really heartwarming to see where our soups end up too, from emergency workers to older customers, people unable to eat solid food, busy parents and frequent travellers. That range just shows how universal the need for quick, healthy food really is.

Which technologies did you prioritise when setting your business up?

New Product Development( NPD) was a huge focus early on. It took a lot of work to move from kitchen trials to something factory-safe and scalable. We explored everything from freeze-dried ingredients to cleaner fibres and more natural starches. Seasoning was another

How did you balance your time when setting up the company?

Until recently, I was working full time in the food and drink industry while building Soul Kitchen on the side. That role gave me a solid grounding in areas like new business, commercials and route to retail, things often overlooked by early-stage founders but that make such a difference later on.

It was full-on juggling both, but the experience was genuinely helpful. You get used to wearing lots of hats and making quick decisions, which is just part of the start-up world. Being a solo founder can feel a bit lonely, but I’ ve found the food and drink community to be incredibly open and collaborative. That support helps keep the energy up, and I’ ve found that having what I call‘ big brand energy’, a mix of belief, hustle and flexibility, has been essential.

How easy was it to navigate the food industry as a young female founder?

There have been challenges for sure, but I’ ve always been curious by nature, and that’ s served me well. My motto is‘ never assume’. I try to learn as much as I can before outsourcing or investing, which has helped me avoid a lot of the common pitfalls that small brands face.

A big turning point was being selected for the Good Food Programme by Mission Ventures. Only ten brands were chosen, and I was lucky enough to receive grant funding and mentorship from industry leaders like Nigel Parrott from Covent Garden Soup. That gave me real confidence in Soul Kitchen’ s mission and helped me find my footing. challenge, we wanted bold flavour, but without leaning on salt or sugar. It was a balancing act but worth it to stay clean-label.

On the tech side, I prioritised a direct-toconsumer set-up through Shopify so we could launch quickly and learn directly from customers. Social media, especially Instagram and TikTok, played a big role in building early awareness and getting immediate feedback. That kind of insight is invaluable when you’ re just starting out.

I think you do have to make your own luck, put yourself forward, say yes to things before you feel ready and just keep moving.

Which technology saves you the most time in your day-today operations?

Definitely Shopify and Klaviyo. Shopify gives

WE WANT TO MAKE HEALTHY EATING AS SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS AS POSSIBLE FOR BUSY PEOPLE WHO DON’ T WANT TO SACRIFICE QUALITY.

Intelligent SME. tech

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