Bella Ackland, a 28-year-old entrepreneur, four years after being laid off, successfully attracted a £40,000 investment for her soup business, Soul Kitchen, by appearing on the famous show Dragons' Den. This program, which is part of British television history, aired last night for BBC viewers.
Significant Growth of the Soul Kitchen Brand
Ackland captured the attention of guest judge Suzy Ma, founder of Tropic Skincare, with her products that are not only delicious but also healthy. Since receiving Suzy's financial support, Soul Kitchen has achieved a revenue of £600,000 with over 920% sales growth. The brand has sold nearly half a million cups of soup and supplies its products to over 100 independent suppliers across the UK.
Read more: Generation Z youth are moving towards online jobs instead of traditional jobs
Additionally, Soul Kitchen soups are now available as an option on Eurostar journeys, showcasing the brand's significant success in the market.
From Education to Entrepreneurship
The brand was established in 2019 while Bella was studying biology at the University of Sheffield. She researched and experimented with interesting ingredients with the aim of producing healthy and accessible food for students. Bella shared her experiences: "I was looking for tasty and affordable food in supermarkets and realized that I could offer quality ingredients in convenient formats."
Bella received loans through Santander University to develop her brand and came up with the idea of selling soup to her fellow students. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this project was put on hold, but the break gave her an opportunity to revisit and improve recipes and connect with other entrepreneurs.
Ackland gained experience from working in food wholesale and various brands, allowing her to become well-acquainted with the market and ultimately decide to turn her business into her main job.
Now Bella is working on a healthy option for instant noodles and serves as a consultant for young entrepreneurs in the industry.
The Dragons' Den program airs every Thursday at 8 PM local time on BBC One.
Read more: Lorry crash on M3 Hampshire and 300 liters of diesel spill · Investing in the fight against climate change and air pollution: every dollar, $15 profit!
