In our new Supplier Stories series, we’re featuring our wonderful suppliers! So many of them have special stories, from women entrepreneurs to family farms to mission-driven folks who want to make a difference. Some are local — only available in a couple of stores — while others are growing along with us. Follow along as we share their tales.
Before Mark Ramadan and Scott Norton started Sir Kensington’s, they weren’t what you’d call condiment experts. They were just two guys who believed food had the power to change the world. And what better way to start than with ketchup?
“We set out to see if we could create a ketchup that we actually wanted to eat, with clean ingredients and less sugar,” they said. “And of course, the ketchup had to taste better too — and not just a little bit better, but ten times better. So much better that people (other than our moms) would actually tell their friends about it.”
A Storybook Hero
And so was born Sir Kensington’s, a specialty condiment maker in the namesake of Sir Kensington himself — a spice trader, nature lover, innovator and world explorer. A mighty man indeed. But don’t try to find him in history books, or even Wikipedia.
“He’s entirely fictional,” the founders said. “We made him up as our muse, our mascot, and our guide through the complex world of food and business."
The muse must have worked, because now, you can find their ketchups, mayos and mustards at Whole Foods Market® stores around the country, but if you really want to venture beyond the ‘conventional condiments’ box, try their vegan mayonnaise made out of aquafaba.
Aqua-whatta?
A can of chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans) holds more potential than just the beans. The soupy liquid that most of us pour down the drain — called aquafaba — has been used by the vegan community as an egg replacement for years.
But in 2015, a Sir Kensington’s staff member had an idea. The company learned that, when combined with Kombu seaweed, aquafaba creates an eggless mayo that tastes like the real thing.
View the magic behind the aquafaba madness:
Without Whole Foods Market, who helped connect Sir Kensington’s to their original supplier of aquafaba, New York-based Ithaca Hummus, it might have never happened.
“They were cooking their chickpeas in-house and pouring the liquid down the drain since they had no use for it," said Laura Villevielle, Director of Research and Development for Sir Kensington.
Together, the two companies created the first food-safe supply chain to save and repurpose 30,000 gallons of aquafaba during their year-long partnership.
The result: Fabanaise opens in a new tab, a well-balanced mayo without the eggs.
Intrigued? Try yours on lunch box sandwiches, wraps and more. You can find Sir Kensington’s lineup of specialty condiments in all Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S.
