Mission Kitchen

🌱 Sustainability Unpacked: WHAT A PANEL 🌍 Last Thursday, I had the privilege of hosting the Sustainability Unpacked panel at Mission Kitchen. We dived deep into the very real and overwhelming challenges of building a sustainable food and drink business, but also the hope that the impact such actionable steps can have in building a more sustainable future. From innovation to collaboration, we unpacked practical ways organisations can unlock profit while building with purpose. 🎤 A heartfelt thank you to our incredible panelists Fergus O'Sullivan of NICE RICE, Imogen Royall of Northern Pasta Co. and Joseph McDonnell from Klimato for sharing their wisdom and real-world examples of driving change. Your stories were a testament to the power of commitment and creativity in sustainability. 💡 And to those of you who attended, your engagement and thought-provoking questions made it a hugely enriching conversation. And lastly to Isabella Mahoney and Mission Kitchen for organising, holding space for this incredibly important conversation, and for trusting me to guide it. [*adds Panel Host to cv 🤓 ] Buzzing from the energy in that room. Let’s build this better future together. #Sustainability #Innovation #Collaboration

Make sure to enter! 🎄 Another reason why I love working at Mission Kitchen —this Christmas, some of my favourite brands have come together to create the ultimate independent foodie stocking! Here’s what’s inside: Sylt Pickling Pickle everything and anything this Christmas! Yep Kitchen® – Spice up that stocking! Tastesmiths - One pot of savory goodness. Frankie's Brownies - Sweeten up the season with these treats. Get Your Fil – Add a spice kick to your festive feasts. Miam Jars – Pair with your favorite cheese for pickled perfection. Get your hands on this curated festive collection... ENTER NOW

I never had a mentor... 🙄  🌈 But I wish I did! I would have made fewer mistakes with the guidance of someone who had seen it all before. 👀 I really love mentoring others though 🥰 and I would love to spare you of some of the pain of starting a food business! 💔 🎺 Introducing 'STARTUP AGONY" !! ❤️🔥 I am offering my time as an AGONY AUNT at my very own MONTHLY IN-PERSON Clinic for FOOD STARTUPs. This year, I am doing a couple of voluntary projects like this, to give back to my industry, whilst I take some time off to rest and figure out what is next. 💌 You need to be part of the Mission Kitchen network to register and there are strictly limited spaces each month, to ensure everyone gets enough time with me. Kicks off in January. I get asked for mentoring a lot, especially by early stage start-ups. This is an easy way to get a taster of working with me. To get involved, contact Mission Kitchen or myself for a sign-up link.  Places are already filling up for January. Bonnie - The Agony Aunt You Never Knew you Needed!  x Thank you for my lovely friends at Mission Kitchen who were up for supporting this project. Charlie Gent Ivan Cardoso Rose Wilk-Mullis Amy Win Isabella Mahoney Shanice Bryce

🌍 The truth about sustainability in food? It’s complex, but progress is being made! At our recent panel discussion, we explored the intricacies of building sustainable food brands. From NICE RICE reducing product costs as they scaled, to Northern Pasta Co. embracing incremental steps toward meaningful impact, the conversation highlighted a critical reminder: There’s no perfect solution — just continuous improvement. A huge thank you to our expert panellists: ➡️ Fergus O'Sullivan (Founder of NICE RICE) ➡️ Imogen Royall (Co-Founder of Northern Pasta Co.) ➡️ Joseph McDonnell (Business Development Manager at Klimato) And to Chloë S. (Founder of nibs etc. Ltd.) for leading such a thought-provoking discussion. 🔑 Key takeaway: Start where you are. Progress is a marathon, not a sprint— especially for small food and drink businesses navigating sustainability while balancing affordability, scalability, and impact. We know the road to sustainability isn’t easy, especially when small brands are often held to higher standards than larger competitors. But progress, no matter how small, matters. 💬 What’s one challenge you’ve faced, or overcome, on your sustainability journey? Let’s share insights and keep the conversation going. #Sustainability #FoodInnovation #MissionKitchen #BCorp #GreenBusiness #SustainableFood #CircularEconomy #ClimateAction #Entrepreneurship

Had a marvellous time yesterday at Mission Kitchen speaking with new & emerging brands in the FMCG space 🤩 🙌🏽 Supporting brands to innovate, explore and step into their potential is core to the work we do at Sitruna - Amazon Experts 🍋 - so partnering with Mission Kitchen was a no brainer! What a beautiful community they’ve created - nurturing and empowering brands left right and centre. Big thank you Isabella Mahoney for having me over! Can’t wait for next time ☺️

Last night, Mission Kitchen hosted an inspiring sustainability panel discussion, expertly chaired by fellow member Chloë, Founder of nibs etc. Ltd. The panel brought together two innovative food businesses, NICE RICE & Northern Pasta Co. alongside Klimato, a tech company helping the food industry track and reduce its carbon footprint. Something that really frustrated me during the discussion was the recurring theme of the unrealistic pressure placed on brands working to make a difference. Unlike their larger competitors, these businesses are often held to a higher standard and scrutinised more harshly—despite working tirelessly to innovate and challenge broken systems. It raises an important question: Why do we demand perfection from those striving to drive positive change within the sustainability industry? Shouldn’t their efforts to take action, be what we celebrate and support? This conversation was a powerful reminder that meaningful change is a process, not a one-off achievement. We need to recognise and support those taking action, however incremental their progress may seem. A question I didn’t get to ask on the night (but would love your thoughts on!): 🔍 What’s the most surprising or frustrating truth about your industry that you wish customers better understood? Thank you to the expert panellists for their insights and passion: Fergus - Founder of NICE RICE Imogen, Co founder of Northern Pasta Co. Joseph McDonnell, Business Development Manager Klimato …and a huge thank you to Chloë for leading such an engaging and thought-provoking discussion, and Isabella for organising! There’s so much more I could say about last night—I didn’t want it to end! If you’re navigating sustainability in your business, what challenges are you facing? #Sustainability #MissionKitchen #CircularEconomy #SmallBusinessInnovation #ClimateAction #SustainableBrands

It was great to be part of the panel at Mission Kitchen yesterday! Speaking with founders of food startups made me see the positive energy of sustainability in driving people to create brilliant products and brands. Sustainable brands often have to pay a higher costs therefore charge premium prices for customers. This is not to exclude the average person from sustainable products but highlights our current painful reality. Our food system is geared towards multi-national companies with mass produced goods and huge marketing budgets. All of which are currently not on course to help us achieve our national or global climate goals. On a positive note, a great point from our panel was there are a million things that make up sustainability. At Klimato, we focus on carbon emissions but find your niche and run with that, whether that be water use, land use, packaging, farming efficiency, etc. To all smaller food & drink brands, I would urge you to look at sustainability early in your journey and use it as a comparative advantage. I know you are already too busy and poor but it does have commercial advantages as well as environmental ones 😃

Grateful for the opportunity to join Fergus O'Sullivan Joseph McDonnell and Chloë S. at Mission Kitchen last week to discuss the vast and ever-evolving topic of sustainability. 🌱 The conversation highlighted a complicated truth: there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Our key takeaway? Start where you are, and focus on doing what you can—and doing it well. For small businesses, the pressure to address every aspect of sustainability can feel overwhelming. While large corporations often fly under the radar, small businesses are scrutinised more closely. And that’s okay—it pushes us to strive for better. But remember, progress is a marathon, not a sprint. Attempting to do everything at once is neither sustainable nor affordable. Instead, set clear goals and pace yourself. Decide what you want to achieve and by when. A practical tip? Explore grants and funding opportunities! For instance, we leveraged a grant to install solar panels at our Pasta HQ—an investment we couldn’t have managed otherwise. At NP there is so much more we want to do!! But I have to tell myself to BREATHE. We will get there. Sustainability is about continuous improvement and it was incredible to share a room with so many people on that journey also. Thank you for having me MK 🌍

This is the type of community we exist to nurture and support in food and drink!

What an awesome week! I had the privilege of: 💡 Learning about all the radical things Michael Tang is doing to empower those around him 🥘 Sharing a wonderful meal (cooked by the mega talented Sal from 3rd Culture Kat) with fellow Mission Kitchen mentors ⏯ Speaking at Sam Moinet's awesome TTI community, sharing easy ways to incorporate play into the classroom 🖼 Attending an exclusive preview of the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, courtesy of Future Strategy Club and Avalyn Kasahara (sorry I missed you Av!) 👨🍳 Teaching fellow founders and Winsie Chen how to cook my "Classics with a twist" menu