Souper Cubes

Two Souper Cubes make an adult's portion / Source: Ocado

EuropeFood & BeverageHardwoodPackaging

6 MINUTE READ

Yasmin Ahmed

WHAT WE SAY:

What if you could banish food and packaging waste with one purchase that nourishes your body and leaves no landfill-bound packaging behind? Souper Cubes do just that – a range of 'heat and eat' frozen soup blocks that are on a mission to oust plastic pots while satisfying your body with nutrient-rich comfort food.

Going "from freezer to bowl in 5 minutes", Soupologie's waste-busting innovation delivers convenience and nutrition on jam-packed days with zero prep required. The vegan-certified, pre-portioned cubes are designed to curb food and packaging waste, as consumers only heat up what they need, and their frozen format eliminates the plastic pots that house chilled soup. This win-win solution could prove to be the future of ready meals, and is exactly the kind of system change we're always on the lookout for.

KEY FACTS:

Launched in June 2022, Souper Cubes by Soupologie is a range of freshly made soup, which is flash frozen into portion-sized cubes to tackle packaging and food waste.
Touted as the "world's first eco soup", the cubes can be heated on a hob or in the microwave straight from the freezer. Each cube contains a five-a-day selection of vegetables and is frozen from fresh to seal all the nutrients.
Souper Cubes are available in Soupologie's two signature flavours: Energising, a blend of carrot and turmeric, and Warming, a pea and leek recipe. The range is free from dairy, gluten, and the 14 main allergens. It also contains no added ingredients such as sugar, thickeners, preservatives, and palm oil.
Each pack contains six 150 gram cubes – two cubes make one adult serving, and one cube is a child's portion. The cubes can also be used as a sauce or base ingredient, adding to the product's versatility and reducing preparation time when cooking.
The cubes are packaged in a recyclable outer box made from card, and a 100% home-compostable inner bag made from Wood pulp, which Soupologie claims can be disposed of in the food waste stream or a compost heap.
The range is available for purchase at Ocado and 186 selected Tesco stores, as well as Soupologie's website. Each pack costs GBP 3.60 (USD 4.34).

Flash frozen soup cubes / Source: Soupologie Instagram Account (@soupologie)

Carrot and turmeric soup / Source: Soupologie Instagram Account (@soupologie)

DIVE DEEPER:

According to a 2021 report by WRAP, 9.5 million tonnes of food waste was generated in the UK in 2018, with 70% of this coming from households. The overall value of this waste was estimated at GBP 19 billion (USD 22.62 billion) and equates to 36 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. On average, food waste costs British households GBP 700 (USD 835) a year per family.
This culture of waste is compounded by the food and drink sector's use of packaging – the majority of which is made from single-use plastic. The industry was responsible for 83% of total plastic packaging waste discarded by UK households in 2022. And with only 9% of plastic waste recycled globally, according to a 2022 report by the OECD, plastic-free solutions are increasingly sought after.
The concept for Souper Cubes emerged as a way to minimise both food and packaging waste. According to Amanda Argent, the company's co-founder, offering pre-portioned cubes of soup means that "consumers use exactly what they need with the remainder staying in the freezer."
Souper Cubes represent the 'first-to-market' frozen product in the UK soup category. It offers a healthier alternative to dehydrated instant soups — which typically contain preservatives and a high amount of salt — without compromising on convenience. It also performs better than chilled soup for consumers and the environment, bypassing hard-to-recycle plastic pots that leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals into our food, causing countless health complications. Instead, Souper Cubes are simply frozen to give them a "long life format".
The cubes are a cost-effective solution for consumers, with each cube equating to GBP 0.58 (USD 0.69). This means that a 600 gram portion costs just GBP 2.32 (USD 2.76), a significant saving when compared with a 600 gram ready-to-eat pot of soup from the brand, which retails at GBP 3.50 (USD 4.17).
The cubes can be consumed as a soup, used as a base ingredient for curries, or made into a sauce for stir fry and pasta meals. The 'ice cube' format of the soup means it can be stored in the freezer for up to one year.
Souper Cubes was awarded the Top Launch of 2022 by The Grocer.
The brand also sells a range of chilled soups, which are available at Ocado and Waitrose, and are sold in plastic soup pots. In 2017, the company published a plant-based soup recipe book.
Soupologie was founded by husband-and-wife team Amanda and Stephen Argent. The family-run soup business was launched in 2012 in London, UK. The couple's youngest daughter, Anastasia, is the head of product development, and came up with the idea of flash-frozen soup cubes.

"Food waste has been a real focus for us at Soupologie, with frozen offering a fantastic solution. We’ve also worked hard to ensure the packaging of our Souper Cubes range is plastic free and fully compostable, so the range is a real ‘eco-first’ for the UK soup category."

Anastasia Argent – Head of New Product Development, Soupologie – as quoted in Grocery Trader

Key Design Considerations:

Go frozen

Freezing food has multiple benefits. Firstly, it transforms liquid products into solid ones, allowing them to be more easily packaged in plastic-free materials. Secondly, it offers additional nutritional benefits to the consumer. Frozen foods don't need preservatives — freezing is nature's very own preservative. Soupologie's brief list of cube ingredients, which features nothing but water, whole foods, herbs, and spices, is testament to this. Additionally, freezing extends food's storage time – Souper Cubes can be kept in the freezer for up to one year. By comparison, Soupologie's ready-to-eat soup pots have a seven-day shelf life. Brands can look to Kencko's range of freeze-dried, powdered smoothies for inspiration too, which are simply mixed with water at the point of use. The novel approach saves plastic bottles and reduces the product's weight by taking water out, minimising transportation costs and emissions. Not only does a frozen variation of food mean potentially healthier meal options for consumers, it also reduces excess packaging and food waste due to spoilage. A win-win for people and planet.

Follow the trend

Solid and concentrated formulations are an emerging trend across the food, beverage, and beauty sectors, gaining increasing traction as brands seek innovative ways to cut back on packaging. Although Souper Cubes is the 'first-to-market' frozen soup range, the model is shaping the landscape of multiple industries. In the food sector, JOI's Plant Milk Concentrates incorporate the same philosophy as Soupologie's cubes, creating alt-milk bases that eliminate non-recyclable cartons. Elsewhere, Grove Collaborative's Peach range of solid soap, deodorant, and shampoo bars represents a saving of one to three plastic bottles per bar. Trends enable companies to break the boundaries of their market. Studying industry developments lends strategic credibility, efficiency, and relevancy to your brand so you won't get left behind.

Designing DIY solutions for the ultimate waste-free approach

For households who have the time and resources to go that extra mile, batch-cooked homemade meals are the indisputable waste-free solution. Admittedly, this isn't as convenient as purchasing ready meals, but it reduces waste immensely. Emerging on-trend aids such as freezer-safe stackable silicone trays fortified with stainless Steel wire by US brand Souper Cubes (same name, different company) enable well-resourced households to adopt this approach. Creatives and food brands looking to design waste out, and tap into this growing consumer cohort, should consider how they can empower eco-minded behaviour change by upselling well-designed DIY meal prep tools.

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Souper Cubes

WHAT WE SAY:

KEY FACTS:

DIVE DEEPER:

The concept for Souper Cubes emerged as a way to minimise both food and packaging waste. According to Amanda Argent, the company's co-founder, offering pre-portioned cubes of soup means that "consumers use exactly what they need with the remainder staying in the freezer."

The cubes are a cost-effective solution for consumers, with each cube equating to GBP 0.58 (USD 0.69). This means that a 600 gram portion costs just GBP 2.32 (USD 2.76), a significant saving when compared with a 600 gram ready-to-eat pot of soup from the brand, which retails at GBP 3.50 (USD 4.17).

The cubes can be consumed as a soup, used as a base ingredient for curries, or made into a sauce for stir fry and pasta meals. The 'ice cube' format of the soup means it can be stored in the freezer for up to one year.

Souper Cubes was awarded the Top Launch of 2022 by The Grocer.

The brand also sells a range of chilled soups, which are available at Ocado and Waitrose, and are sold in plastic soup pots. In 2017, the company published a plant-based soup recipe book.

Soupologie was founded by husband-and-wife team Amanda and Stephen Argent. The family-run soup business was launched in 2012 in London, UK. The couple's youngest daughter, Anastasia, is the head of product development, and came up with the idea of flash-frozen soup cubes.