Soup, The Way It Should Be: Why We Funded Proper Good

Dorm Room Fund is excited to announce our investment in Proper Good, a zero-prep 90-second meal solution made with clean & functional ingredients in flexible, transparent packaging.

Packaged soups today aren’t appealing to the modern consumer

Many may not have guessed this, but packaged soup is a billion dollar industry. More than 250 million Americans eat it, making it the 6th most commonly purchased ready-to-eat item in the US.

Currently, most packaged soups use low-quality ingredients and are incredibly high in sodium; there are few “good for you” choices with real, clean ingredients in ready-to-eat form. This does not align with current consumer trends towards sustainability, alternative diets, and the desire to eat “clean” and “fresh.” Meanwhile, in the short-term, COVID-19 has increased the demand for non-perishable, high quality food that can be delivered right to front doors.

Proper Good’s Solution: clean, easy and healthy soup

With their high-quality ingredients, contemporary packaging, Proper Good’s soups are a compelling alternative to current packaged soups. The soup itself uses clean ingredients, no chemical preservatives and 0g of added sugar. Its innovative packaging allows for a shelf life of one year — each pouch can be stored at room temperature, and they’re small and easy to carry anywhere. The soups’ flexible, light-weight, and transparent pouches with their vibrant branding is both cost-effective in terms of shipping, as well as attractive to consumers.

Proper Good is currently selling 4 styles of soup, with vegan, keto, and gluten-free options, directly through their website. In addition, they have optimized their operational setup to create an extremely lean manufacturing process that allows them to rapidly iterate.

Want to read the rest? Check out the full-length article on our blog.

Written by Medha Kothari, Dorm Room Fund Investment Partner (SF). Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn. Image courtesy of Christopher Jane.

Get more Dorm Room Fund news and updates on Twitter and learn more on our website. Want more DRF content? Subscribe to our newsletter and podcast. Ready to take your startup to the next level? Apply here to be considered for an investment from Dorm Room Fund. Until next time! 🚀