About us
We process food at risk of going to waste into tasty, long-life products and community meals that demonstrate the solution to food waste is delicious.
A key aspect of our mission is creating paid entry-level positions for young people facing barriers to entering employment.
Our recipe is to add together surplus food with inclusive employment to create social value.
We are working to form a circular food economy in Sussex and the surrounding region. By using surplus produce we are able to prevent food going to waste, create jobs and provide affordable nutritious food.
We don’t know exactly how much food goes to waste every year, best estimates suggest between 30%-50% (Source). This takes place across the supply chain, creating around 3.3 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions (Source). By focusing on farm level surplus we have created a way for producers to cut out waste and keep nutritious food in circulation.
meet the team
Phil (Co-founder) is an environmentalist who loves sustainable, tasty and equitable food. As the former Sussex Gleaning Coordinator he visited dozens of farms across Sussex and Kent rescuing surplus fruit and veg, and loves the flavour of fresh vegetables. Phil leads on the organisational management of Sussex Surplus and enjoys getting stuck into the practical side of things too.
Ingrid (Head Chef & Co-founder) is a local chef who loves working with surplus food in a creative way. Happiest working in a team and sharing her passion for food, Ingrid is inspired by flavours from around the world and the amazing produce of Sussex. Ingrid believes passionately that through communication, inclusivity and food activism we can create the change we want to see in the world.
Josh (Community Commis Chef) loves trying out new ideas for recipes and saving food that would be wasted. He knows accessibility of good food for lots of disabled people who are isolated needs to be improved. In 2021 Josh wrote a One Pot Manifesto calling for healthy Food Access for All, which he presented at the COP 26 summit in Glasgcow. He has since has turned this manifesto into a recipe book and monthly cook along supper club.
Abi (Community Outreach Coordinator) has been building an interest in community food since being a teenager and is excited to get stuck in with the project, producing and providing food for the local community and creating connections with other do-ers in the area. She is particularly keen on working with surplus food products as she is hopeful about the potential of its knock-on effects.
Sophie (Community Kitchen Coordinator) has worked as a chef locally around Brighton and loves to put her skills to use to benefit the community she grew up in. She is passionate about the importance of healthy, sustainable food and the impact it has on us individually and the environment. Sophie believes that education is key to change and advocates for disability and neuro-diversity awareness, supporting equal opportunities for all.
Sol (Sous Chef) loves to create satisfying and healthy meals from surplus food, and is enthusiastic about strengthening bonds within the community that will allow living an enriched lifestyle more readily accessible. With a growing interest in hands-on community work, he is eager to disrupt the wasteful food pipeline and encourage a passion of inclusive, equitable care.
SOUP Stockists
Seed 'n' Sprout (KeMPTOWN)
