Foodchain Brand Partners - Rubies In The Rubble

About Rubies In The Rubble.

Rubies In The Rubble are an award-winning condiments brand, dedicated to making delicious products from ingredients that would otherwise go to waste - not because they taste any different, but often because they’re the wrong shape, size or colour. They work within the food supply chain to uncover value from surplus & ensure nothing is wasted.

Food waste is an issue that occurs throughout the food supply chain. Some produce is discarded before it even leaves the farm due to a rigorous aesthetic criteria, some is rejected when it arrives at the supermarket or restaurant & some simply ends up in a household bin.

Their range of ketchups & relishes are made with fresh fruit & vegetables sourced directly from farms, whilst their mayo is made with aquafaba, a plant-based alternative to eggs that is usually thrown away. Condiments are a fantastic way of preserving produce by extending their shelf-life with vinegars & sugars.

Company Values.

Bring The Rubies Out | Be Resourceful | Dare To Be Different

Rubies In The Rubble provide a delicious solution to food waste & raise awareness of the impact that food waste has on the planet. In short – more taste, less waste. Packed with Purpose, they don’t just make condiments that taste great. They're also an act of everyday activism. Last year they were certified as a B-Corp which is testament to how they value their team, their community & the plant. The company values they live by are:

Bring The Rubies Out - to see the best in things & to look for the undiscovered gems, seeing problems as opportunities. Be caring & celebrate the big & small. Be Resourceful - value all resource & strives towards a zero waste way of working. This is with materials, money & time. Try to make a huge impact in the most sustainable way. Dare To Be Different - to punch above your weight. Act bold to get noticed & rustle the tailfeathers of the big boys.

They are a small team but growing quickly! If you are passionate about sustainability, share the above values & love the thought of working for a fast growing start up business, then keep a look out for new opportunities.

Journey So Far...

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Experimenting In The Kitchen.

After moving to London & starting a job in Finance, Jenny Costa began reading about the problem of food waste.

Shocked by the amount of fruit & veg that was rejected because it didn’t look perfect, she began rescuing produce from New Covent Garden market & experimenting in the kitchen with childhood recipes.

Side Hustle To Full Time.

Jenny decided to take the idea from side hustle to centre stage, with the launch of Rubies In The Rubble.

Growing Press Coverage.

Featured in all major broadsheets & key TV outlets, including The Times, BBC & The Telegraph.

New Listings.

The brand continues to grow and is listed & flying off the shelves in high-end outlets such as Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols & Selfridges.

More Listings & Growth.

More deals with companies including including Eat, Virgin Trains & the Marriott Hotels Group.

With Virgin, Rubies in the Rubble collects the approximately 1,300 apples that would be thrown away each week from the train’s catering service, turns them into chutney & sells the end product back to the company.

Key Hire: Claudia Costa joins the team as Graphic Designer.

First Round Of Investment.

Raised £150,000 of investment from Mustard Seed, which connects investors with socially driven entrepreneurs.

3 stars awarded in total from ‘Great Taste’ for Banana Relish & Spicy Tomato Relish.

Key Hire: Joanna Vierod joins as Head of Retail.

New Hires & More Awards.

Awarded another ‘Great Taste’ award, this time for Fiery Tomato Ketchup.

Key Hire: Ava Garthwaite joins the growing team as Operations Manager.

Team & Product Range Continues To Grow.

Launched an aqaufabulous new range of vegan mayonnaises made with surplus aquafaba & stocked in Waitrose, Whole Foods & Ocado.

Won Food Matters Live ‘Innovation Award’ for their mayo.

Key Hires: Nish Fatania joins as COO & Lucy Squires joins as Marketing Manager.

£2 Million Investment Raised.

Surged past its £300k crowdfunding & raised £2m investment. Expanded their sales & marketing team, invested into brand building through experiential marketing & NPD - new ranges, formats & expansion of existing lines.

Launched ketchup using surplus pears & awarded Casual Dining Show’s ‘Innovation Award' & 2 stars from ‘Great Taste.’

Key Hire: Jessica Felton-Page joins the team as Commercial Manager.

2 Great Tastes & 3 New Hires.

Launched plant-based Mayo duo into Waitrose

2 ‘Great Taste’ awards for their Tomato Ketchup & Plant-based Chilli Mayo

Key Hires: Team strengthens with Ben Harpham joining as Head of OOH Sales, Nora Neil as Account Management Lead & Sophie Judd as Marketing Executive.

No Crust Left Behind.

Leaving no crust behind, launched their Plant Based Garlic Mayo at the beginning of the year.

Further team growth plans with Foodchain Recruitment. Watch This Space.

Jenny Costa - Founder + CEO

Rubies In The Rubble

"I’m conscious when hiring that people are passionate about the cause. We have a close team, everyone brings something different & we all push a little bit harder for the sake of the social mission."