Meet Flawsome! – drinks that makes wonky fruit the hero  

Teaming up with supply chain partners who share Sodexo’s commitment to sustainability is an essential element of our social impact strategy. Whether it’s tackling food waste, increasing the number of low carbon meals on our menus or choosing to source sustainably, our suppliers play a pivotal role in the pursuit of ambitious planet-pleasing targets.  

One small independent business that ticks all the right boxes is drinks manufacturer Flawsome!, who craft cold-pressed drinks using wonky and surplus fruit. We asked Ben Nagy, Flawsome!’s Head of Out of Home and Wholesale, how the company is helping to change the perception of wonky fruit and ensure a fairer deal for farmers.  

Flawsome! is the UK’s only 100% wonky fruit juice drinks business and its range of 20 cold-pressed juices, waters and sparkling drinks all contain at least two saved fruits. Keen to work with like-minded businesses, Flawsome!’s range was introduced at Sodexo sites last year via wholesaler DDC, initially at sites which offer Modern Recipe, one of our food service brands, and expanding into Sodexo Live! this year with a desire to move into supplying schools during 2025.  

“Since launching in 2018, Flawsome has saved 45 million pieces of wonky and surplus fruit and counting,” says Ben. “By 2026, we aim to have saved 20,000 tonnes of fruit that would have gone to waste.” 

These are impressive numbers, fuelled by the passion of a small team of sales, marketing and supply chain professionals, led by Flawsome! founders Maciek Kacprzyk and Karina Sudenyte. “Maciek and Karina both have childhood memories of making treats using wonky produce from their family gardens and after meeting at university in Wales they decided to turn that shared experience into action,” says Ben.  

The opportunity was there for the taking, with the demand for sustainable products growing. Statistics show that one-third of all farmed food worldwide goes to waste, 71% of consumers are concerned about sugar levels in soft drinks and 40% of farmers feel unfairly paid. Flawsome! is a business that is fully focussed on redressing the balance, embracing wonky fruit as the natural sustainable choice. If produce is too big, too small, mishappen or discoloured, or it is surplus crop that would otherwise go to waste, the team will take it and make it tasty. 

“We now source our wonky and surplus fruit as close to our production facilities as possible to keep food miles and emissions low,” says Ben. “For example, all our apples come from within a 30 mile radius of our apple juice factory – which also shows the volume of produce being wasted that we can still save. 

"The fruit is cold pressed so the juice maintains its amazing natural flavour and doesn't need any added sugars or sweeteners – we never compromise on taste and have won Great Taste awards across our range. The drinks are gently pasteurised so they have a 10-month shelf life, also meaning they don’t need refrigeration in transit or storage too, saving more carbon emissions and potential waste.” 

Flawsome! also pays close attention to its packaging, using indefinitely recyclable aluminium cans and glass bottles, and Tetra Pak cartons. “We're also the first brand to use paper wrapping for straws in the kids’ range, saving nearly half a tonne of plastic this year alone” says Ben.