When Patrick wrote about upstart business SoupCycle in October 2008, it wasn’t clear whether the plan to deliver soup by bike weekly around Portland was genius or doomed. But, hey! Good news! The little business celebrated its 10,000th soup delivery today, dropping off a plastic container of “Democratic Republic of Peanut Chicken” to a nondescript cubicle on the second floor of the EcoTrust building.
“This is actually my favorite flavor,” said Marcus, the lucky recipient of the 10,000th delivery (including a one-of-a-kind commemorative bowl) and a “soupscriber” for over a year. “It’s super thick and it’s made with love.”
“It’s goopy and awesome, like stew. I love it,” agreed delivery woman Jen Bishop, who delivers soup around the city with the help of a bike trailer.
The two co-founders of SoupCycle taught themselves how to make a cheap, transportable soup in order to launch the business, utilizing mostly organic and often local ingredients to whip up 100 gallons of simple soups a week. The crew has long overgrown its space in the commercial kitchen of a SE Portland church. “Our first week we made soup for seven people in the same space we now many soup for 300,” says co-founder Jed Lazar. He began to worry last spring when customers started dropping the service faster than new ones signed up. “Many people told me they had lost their jobs or lost hours and were going on a ‘peanut butter and jelly diet,'” says Lazar. Over the summer, though, the business rebounded and is now expanding its delivery area to North Portland and outer East Portland. “We’re taking over Campbell’s territory,” laughs Lazar.
Awesome. I found a big piece of cardboard in my Campbells soup a few weeks ago…wish I worked downtown for this service. The idea of “non-transportable” soup made me laugh, though.
Hey guys, bikes! Did you hear about bikes? What about the latest bike news, huh? Bikes, I tells ya. Totally fucking bikes, dude!
Hahaha!
Luv Soupcycle!
Thank you for celebrating with us! 20,000…here we come!
Hey guys, small business! Did you hear about small business? What about the latest small business news, huh? Small business, I tells ya. Totally fucking small business, dude!
Oh, and “Does the Mercury want to force me to use small businesses?”
Boy, that small business plan is going to cost a lot of money!
If I hear about one more small business success in Portland I’m going to move to Vancouver, dude. They will have to pry me away from giant corporate chain business with a crowbar. Stop covering what’s good for the economy, damn it.
Dear Anne,
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Excellent comment, Anne!
I was a SoupCycle subscriber up until last spring or summer and if I had a steady income I would totally go for it again, not that the Soupcyclers appreciated the huge hill they had to climb to get to my place much! Still, they never complained and I loved them for that. Very cool people and the soups were really great too. I miss having Souper Wednesdays!