The Ample Kitchen Project: A Recipe for Change

The UK is facing a food crisis, with 26,000 tonnes of good food wasted daily, costing over £20 billion annually and contributing to 6% of the country's eCO2 emissions. Meanwhile, up to 25% of crops go unsold, and meals in schools and hospitals often lack proper nutrition. Ample Kitchen is an alliance of "change-makers" that aims to solve this crisis by rescuing unsold surplus food and creating a more equitable food economy.

The project focuses on "beautiful, fresh, British produce" that is rejected by supermarkets for being "slightly larger, smaller or more wonky than the norm". This produce is just as fresh, nutritious, and delicious as standard produce and is available to business buyers at up to 50% cheaper than standard wholesale prices.

Ample Kitchen's mission is to rescue, revalue, and repurpose as much unsold farm surplus as possible. The plan is to build a scalable facility to produce high-quality, nutritious meal components such as soups, stews, and sauces at high volume—over 20 million meals per year. These products will be blast-chilled or frozen to extend the life of the fresh produce that would otherwise be wasted. The low-cost ingredients from their grower network allow them to produce cost-effective products that fit the budgets of buyers like schools and the NHS.

The project's goal is to disrupt the food supply chain by preventing waste, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and eliminating middlemen to provide more value for buyers and control for sellers. They also aim to create a massive social impact by enhancing the nutrition of meals in public services. Academic research supports this, showing that improving the diets of vulnerable people leads to substantial social and economic benefits.

The Ample team has a diverse background with over 150 years of combined experience in food, farming, catering, marketing, and technology. They have already secured a corporate partner, Oakland International, who will help design, build, and operate the production facility.

Another strategic partner, Juniper Ventures, will provide R&D resources and a testing opportunity through their 50+ school kitchens. The project is seeking £950k in investment to build and launch the facility, with a goal of achieving a £40 million valuation in year five and a projected return on investment of 8x to 12x.