29 June 2023
Our friends at The Ketchup Project are happy to announce that their sustainable and inclusive business is going into a new phase with a new brand name and a new listing at 700 Albert Heijn stores in The Netherlands. From today on, it's bye bye The Ketchup Project and hello The Ketchup Club.
The world needs more ketchup, according to The Ketchup Club. Why? Because ketchup brings out the best in vegetables and fruits that would otherwise be discarded. For example, in Kenya, where The Ketchup Club helps over 100 farmers prevent the loss of 40% of their tomato and mango harvest. What remains? Delicious ketchup, farmers with a stable and improved income, and significantly less waste.
"Working towards a healthy, inclusive, and sustainable food chain that protects nature and contributes to a resilient local economy. That's what we do at The Ketchup Club," says Anne Janssens, co-founder of The Ketchup Club. "Due to the unpredictable market, 40% of good tomatoes and mangoes are lost in Kenya every year. It's a waste and unnecessary. By drying tomatoes and mangoes on-site and providing farmers with a guaranteed off-take at a stable and fair price, these tomatoes and mangoes can be utilized. The result is the tastiest ketchup, better income for farmers, and reduced waste."
Fair price and better farming
Although the price paid by The Ketchup Club is not significantly higher than the local market price, Kenyan farmers still benefit greatly. Anne says, "By drying the tomatoes, we significantly increase the yield from the harvests. And of course, we provide a stable, fair income. This has an immediate positive effect on a farming community of 5,000 people. By 2026, we expect to provide essential livelihoods to approximately 2,000 farmers in this way, impacting around 100,000 people in their communities."
About The Ketchup Club
The Ketchup Club has been working since 2016 on a healthy, inclusive, and sustainable food chain that protects nature and contributes to a resilient local economy. They produce pure, sustainably produced, high-quality ketchup without refined sugar in various flavors, and they strive to make this the new norm. The DOEN Foundation has been supporting The Ketchup Project since 2019. In 2022, Brave New Food Investments also became one of their sponsors. Vincent van Gorkom, co-founder of Brave New Food Investments visited The Ketchup Club's production plant in Kenya last month. "I was impressed by seeing first hand how Anne and her team manage to reduce food waste whilst stimulating the local economy. I congratulate them with their new branding and hope that more and more Dutch consumers can enjoy the taste of the Kenyan sun."
Want to know more? Visit theketchup.club.
Production facility at Kwakyai Rural Savings and Credit Cooperative SACCO, in Makueni County, Kenya