Photo by Ainsley Rose Photography
By Brittany Tiplady
@yellowbird888
Joni Lind and Amy Kizaki are asking the big questions: how is what you are consuming affecting your body? And how is it affecting your environment?
Their local small batch soup company, kitskitchen, is sweeping the shelves of lower mainland grocery stores, markets, and storefronts and spreading the word of healthy, sustainable food all in one little jar.
The duo focuses on locally sourced ingredients while creating soups that stay true to the seasonal harvest in B.C.
“We are definitely focused on health. Eat for your health, eat seasonally because that’s what is most natural in your environment,” says Amy Kizaki.
“The number one thing is also research. We do a lot of research on the company before we source from them,” added Lind. “The business development, the message, that’s our passion.”
Back in 2014, kitsktichen launched their first batch of soups at the Juicery Co and have since maintained a strong relationship with the growing company, along with many other Vancouver staples like Krokodile Pear and Body Energy Club.
In the Spring, the now second year start-up teamed up with Vancouver Food reporter and To Die For Fine Foods owner Erin Ireland to create a collaborative recipe that expanded their vegan soup collection.
The result is an inspiration born of Ireland’s love of yam fries: a decadent Yam and Coconut Soup made with roasted yams and garlic; coconut milk for creaminess with notes of citrus and chili.
“[Erin] was a great person to reach out to because she had already been doing it for a few years, and knew the wholesale model. She’s such a top quality human and it was really great to learn from her,” said Kizaki.
“She’s actually been with us since before we launched. She was one of our original recipe tasters. She’s been a food mentor in a way.”
What’s new with kitskitchen? Well, a lot. The Juicery Co is now carrying the kitskitchen 48-hour soup reset. The reset is intended to reboot the stomach system and promote overall gut health. Orders can be placed directly with with Juicery Co and is available for delivery as well.
Their latest seasonal sensation, a chilled Summer Basil Soup, was a personal favourite during the Vancouver heat wave as of late.
“It’s doing your research, and knowing where you are actually buying from. That’s the number one thing we want to encourage through our products,” explains Lind.
You can also now find the kitskitchen soups now available at Whole Foods Robson and Burnaby locations, and soon, a ferry ride away on Vancouver island.
“Joni and I lucked out as [business] partners. The communication and the patience, and the level of commitment you need to work with somebody, has been an invaluable lesson. You also appreciate all the products people are successful with. You now know what goes into that one product and you applaud them,” laughs Kizaki.
“It truly does not feel like work for me. I am happy to do it all the time and it doesn’t matter if it’s 6 pm at night-if that’s when I get a moment, that’s what I get a moment. It’s 24 hours a day not 9-5,” says Lind.
For the full list of kitskitchen stockists and partners, visit their website. Wondering what to do with all of your leftover kitskitchen jars? Use them for overnight oats of course!
Brittany Tiplady is a part-time poet, and a full-time goat cheese enthusiast. She loves the indoors, fast wifi, collecting maps, and a generous glass of red wine.
