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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.

us great visibility into order patterns and customer behaviour, and it’ s super user friendly, I built our website on it myself. Klaviyo is brilliant for email marketing and automation. It helps us stay close to customers without everything needing to be done manually.

Being able to pull insights quickly, like which products are resonating or where we’ re seeing drop-offs, means I can make smart decisions without hours of guesswork. That time saving lets me focus more on creative and strategic thinking.

How did you raise the funds to launch the business?

It started with a £ 3,000 award from my university, backed by Santander. That helped me get the first product concepts off the ground and work with a nutritionist to make sure everything was robust and correctly labelled.

I then put in some savings and secured a Virgin Start- Up loan to help with our first production runs. Later, we received a grant from

Impact on Urban Health and the Good Food Programme, which was a game-changer. We haven’ t raised external investment yet, but my manufacturing partner has been hugely supportive, especially with cash flow. They’ re as keen to grow Soul Kitchen as I am, and I’ ve learned the hard way that having a manufacturer on your side is essential in FMCG [ Fast-Moving Consumer Goods ].

What approach are you taking to building the brand?

It’ s all about community, education and visibility. We’ ve put energy into social media, worked with content creators and shown up in real-world spaces, from pop-ups like Raye the Store to office sampling and community events. We’ ve also partnered with initiatives like mental health swim clubs to meet people where they are.

There’ s still a big myth that powdered food means unhealthy, ultra-processed meals. We’ re working hard to change that perception. When done well, veg powders are low-waste, nutrient-dense and incredibly useful. Turning something overlooked into something exciting has been really rewarding.

What’ s next for Soul Kitchen?

We’ ve got a new set of functional soup blends coming, focused on wellness, gut health, immunity, highprotein options. We’ re experimenting with ingredients like matcha, miso and lion’ s mane mushrooms, which really appeal to a younger audience.

We’ re also looking at new formats for food service and travel. We’ re already stocked on some train lines, but I’ d love to see our soups on planes, in hospitals or even vending machines, anywhere people need something quick, warm and nourishing.

Sustainability is a big focus too. So much fresh food gets wasted; veg and salad are the worst offenders. With long shelf life, ambient storage and easy portioning, I really believe Soul Kitchen can help homes and outlets reduce waste while still eating well. �

46 Intelligent SME. tech