Uproot Food Collective. Taking Boutique Brands Into a Bigger Market.

The Path to Progress Runs Through a RATIONAL oven

There are thousands of amazing food brands in this world that most will never hear of, either because they lack capital resources or adequate access to markets. But one company is working to change that. Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Uproot Food Collective provides a platform for small, independent companies looking to grow their brands. And at the heart of their operations you’ll find a RATIONAL iCombi Pro combi-oven that’s helping make that possible, increasing capacity, improving consistency and lowering the barriers for a lot of small companies who are ready to think big.

About Uproot Food Collective

Uproot Food Collective provides a marketplace for emerging food brands — and the tools for their success, enabling small entrepreneurs to collaborate, innovate and acquire the capacity to upscale their operations. Through its online store, Uproot markets its three in-house brands and unique selections from more than 75 independent companies, providing direct consumer sales to 85% of Alberta.

Uproot Food Collective

Edmonton, Canada

Goal

  • Reduce waste created by inconsistent production.
  • Achieve high-volume production while maintaining quality.
  • Provide capacity for partners looking to upscale

Approach

  • Do trial runs in RATIONAL test kitchen to test quality and efficiency.
  • Install iCombi Pro in main Edmonton kitchen.

Equipment

  • iCombi Pro 20-full size

“After the pandemic hit, our online sales absolutely exploded and we needed a way to increase our capacity. That is when we found RATIONAL.”

Allen Yee, COO of Uproot Collective
Jamie Scott - Founder of South Island Pies and Co-founder at Uproot Food Collective

The Power of Pie.

The company’s first RATIONAL oven has already transformed the production of one of its signature brands. Created by Uproot co-founder Jamie Scott, South Island Pies introduced Canadians to the delicious meat pies he enjoyed growing up in New Zealand. And the iCombi pro 20-shelf has taken production of the Kiwi cuisine to the next level.

The large RATIONAL oven replaced two less efficient, smaller models from a different company. And it delivered impressive results, allowing the company to produce 65% more pies in 40% percent less time. Not only was it faster, it was also consistent, eliminating the waste created by uneven production.

The quality is so much more consistent. It has really helped us to reduce the amount of pies we throw away. This is great for our food costs.

Jamie Scott, Co-Founder at Uproot Food Collective

The Key Ingredient to Growing Great Brands.

Allen says that their success in the midst of a global pandemic proved two things — that there are a lot of great local food companies out there, and more importantly, there are customers who are willing, happy and able to support them — as long as the quality is there.

In today’s crowded market, there are upwards of 60,000 great specialty food companies vying for shelf space in North America. But to be part of the Uproot Collective they have to have more than a great product. They need a great story and a passion to succeed. Once they have that, Uproot can do the rest using tools like the RATIONAL combi oven to help them successfully grow their brand.

“As we grow these smaller brands, we want to ensure that we set them up for success by giving them access to the best equipment, such as our RATIONAL iCombi.”

Allen Yee, COO of Uproot Collective

One to Grow on.

The biggest obstacle to growth for most small companies is upscaling. When orders explode, it can be difficult for small companies and restaurants to increase production quickly without sacrificing quality. The RATIONAL solves that, providing both the capacity and consistency needed to evolve. No one knows that better than Uproot Collective, who’s been averaging more than 400 new customers each month since the pandemic began.

This past June, Uproot made headlines when it partnered with the Edmonton International Airport to convert a former flight kitchen into a federally-certified food production and contract packaging facility. Uproot is the first tenant of the Ag-celerator at EIA, and co-led the construction of the facility, which will help future generations of small Canadian companies find access to global markets.

“When we changed out our convection oven to the RATIONAL, it took us from being able to do 145 pies in 25 minutes, to 240 pies in 15 minutes”

Jamie Scott, Co-Founder
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