Words By Eleanor Strong
Since I was 16 years old, I have always worked within the food and drink sector. Whether it is waitressing, bartending or food preparation; any job surrounding this line of work ÔÇô you name it, IÔÇÖve done it. However, itÔÇÖs a whole different ball game when the opportunity arises to take part in the business side. My first experience was with Cardiff-based sustainable juice brand: Flawsome!
Flawsome are a small, independent juice company founded by a young couple that utilise rejected fruit and veg and transform them into ÔÇÿperfectÔÇÖ cold pressed juices. When fruit and vegetables are grown naturally, they are more than often discarded, due to being misshapen or ÔÇÿwonkyÔÇÖ. This usually means that they do not meet supermarket specifications, thus creating a colossal amount of food waste.
Did you know that 1.3 billion tonnes of food produced worldwide (for human consumption) is wasted annually? And that 10 million tonnes of that is from the UK alone?
After Maciek Kacpryzk, 26, and Karina Sudenyte, 23 (founders of Flawsome) were made aware of these stats during their time at University, they were compelled to create a business opportunity that endeavoured to tackle this astounding issue. After completing their degrees in Wales, they decided to continue pursuing their dream and set up shop right here in the comfort of Cardiff!
Karina and Maciek first launched the company in 2016, with a focus on creating a business that solely tackled the problem of food waste and reduce plastic usage – an issue both close to their hearts but also beneficial to our planet. The juices are completely vegan, gluten-free, plus the glass is 100% recyclable ÔÇô yay! You can track down these little bottles of goodness at Cardiff food venues such as: Stable Pizza, Grazing Shed and Milgi Market (unfortunately just for another week).
As a vegetarian and avid eco-warrior myself, I was delighted to discover this company and become an intern for them. It was amazing to find something so local that resonated with my beliefs. ItÔÇÖs also refreshing to discover a real company that wasnÔÇÖt just driven by profits, but actually by spreading a positive message to its consumers and making an impact. Moreover, I was completely awe-struck by how young everyone was. They have accomplished so much and theyÔÇÖre all in their twenties! Just, wow.
My time working with this wonderful team has been super valuable. In the past I had always been the ÔÇÿfront-of-houseÔÇÖ of general food and drink production, but with this opportunity I was able to learn some essential skills that are necessary to work within the creative/marketing side of brands in the industry. I have gained confidence in my ability to work in a completely new environment, and IÔÇÖm thankful to the Flawsome team for that. As a clincher, IÔÇÖd love to see more sustainable food and drink companies arise. I think those like Flawsome are seriously paving the way for a new and improved consumer culture.