Boulder Soup Works

I first heard about Boulder Soup Works when they pitched at Naturally Boulder Days last fall. At the time I thought: “So what, it’s just soup?”.

Unbeknownst to me, few (if any) companies attempt to sell fresh soup in the supermarket. There are significant challenges, mostly relating to freshness, packaging, and distribution. The canned soup? Forget it. They all have a ton of additives and preservatives (it took me a long time to find, but for example, Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup contains roughly 26 ingredients). For those counting at home, the Boulder Soup Works Red Lentil Dahl has: Water, Organic Onions, Organic Red Lentils, Organic Carrots, Organic Coconut Milk, Organic Vegetable Base, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Curry Spice Blend (salt, cumin, coriander, tumeric, paprika). Notice that all eight ingredients are real food!

Another plus, all of Boulder Soupworks’ Soups are gluten free (and some are also dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan).

So what made Kate and Joseph attempt the impossible? While living in England, Joseph became addicted to a local shop that served fresh soup. Upon his return, Kate said he just “wouldn’t stop talking” about this soup, lamenting about his limited options here in the States. After a few months, Kate finally laid down the law: “either do something about it, or quit complaining.”

The next day, Joseph came home with bags full of store bought soup. They tried every single one. “Most were pretty disgusting” Kate recalled. They teamed up with a superb chef (and friend) Lisa, and the rest is history.

Just try talking to Kate about Soupworks, her excitement comes across in every sentence. She is constantly working: cooking, getting the word out, expanding distribution, and currently - moving their kitchen from Denver to Boulder. Despite all this, you won’t hear her describe the business as “hard work” - it’s what she loves to do!

Although she admits to “catching every lucky break” in the last few months, it would not have happened without a great product that fills a need. Word spread quickly and the soups were so well liked that they were actually approached by Whole Foods. It wasn’t long before they were accepted into Whole Foods Distribution - so they could make their deliveries to the distribution center, rather than driving around to the different stores themselves.

Only two weeks in, Boulder Soup Works has already made a big splash at the Boulder Farmers Market. Stop by and try some free samples! Things are really rolling for Kate, Joseph, and Lisa - check out their new (beautiful) website.