The Conscious Kitchen: Growing Sales with Reusable Containers
This blog post is a collaborative effort with Harvest Impact, a project of 10C that plays a critical role in supporting Our Food Future in Guelph-Wellington by mobilizing community donations, philanthropy, and social finance investments. Harvest Impact’s mission is to create a connected ecosystem of change-makers and investors who are committed to driving positive social and environmental change. Through this collaboration, we hope to provide insights about enterprise level SDG impact to support the shared vision of building a sustainable and resilient food system for the region.
The Conscious Kitchen tackles food waste by sourcing aesthetically imperfect, locally grown ingredients that would otherwise be discarded. Adopting a 100% vegan product line, there truly is a meal to fit every customer’s needs. With weekly menu changes you will never get bored of their tasty ready to eat meals and organic groceries. Learn how COIL and Harvest Impact supported The Conscious Kitchen in achieving their business goals and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In Canada 2.3 million tons of edible produce are sent to landfills every year. The stigma associated with aesthetically imperfect produce has heavily contributed to this issue, with farmers and grocers struggling to sell items that have minor imperfections. With 10 years of cooking experience and a passion to reduce food waste, The Conscious Kitchen founder Celeste Lopreito knew that something needed to be done. By purchasing produce that would otherwise go to waste, this business holds the SDG 12 of responsible consumption and production at its core.
The Conscious Kitchens offers a wide selection of delicious prepared meals and grocery items. To provide variety and promote seasonal ingredient use, menus are updated weekly. This leaves customers coming back for more while significantly reducing organic waste the unused produce is prioritized and incorporated in new menus. Prepared meals are 100% vegan and contain fresh, local, sustainably farmed ingredients.
In a world of finite resources, it is crucial to reuse and repurpose products as much as we can. This keeps waste out of landfills and lowers greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to SDG 13 climate action.These circular practices have been thoroughly integrated in The Conscious Kitchens business model. How does it work? Orders are packaged in reusable containers, which are retrieved and sanitized during the customer’s next delivery. This circular packaging model operates with 0 cost to the customer, so supporting sustainable business won’t hurt your wallet!
Partnerships with Cedar Down Farm and Pfennings Farms have allowed The Conscious Kitchen to actively contribute to rural economic development. Regenerative farming practices such as nutrient building production, actively increases the health of soil, increasing crop yield and decreasing the amount of additives needed to sustain growth. With this, The Conscious Kitchen actively promotes supply chain sustainability.
SDG Impact
Harvest Impact Loan
In 2022, the Conscious Kitchen was given a COIL grant and Harvest impact loan. This enabled the company to expand their business in Guelph-Wellington, buy unique and therefore traditionally hard-to-sell veggies from local farms, and further implement a reusable container program.
The Conscious Kitchen operates on a circular delivery model, as customers receive and give back the containers that their meals are shipped in. To further promote this embedded circularity, a portion of the grant and loan was used to enhance sanitation equipment. This increases efficiency, promotes cleanliness and reduces the workload of employees, ultimately making the reusable model better.
With an online business model, The Conscious Kitchen relies on social media to drive sales. Through the use of paid advertisements and brand development research, The Conscious Kitchen was able to attract and retain a larger consumer base. This increased reach continues to benefit and grow the firm to date.
To learn more and/or if you’d like to support The Conscious Kitchen by purchasing an order, please visit: www.theconsciousfarmkitchen.com