2023 IMPACT REPORT
Welcome Founder Hello
Meeting the Challenge 2023 Performance Performance Focus
Looking Ahead
Thank you
Welcome
Welcome to our 2023 Impact Report.
Borough Broth started business in 2015 and we ’ ve come a long way since then! We became a B Corp back in 2021 and this year has seen our first recertification. This report outlines all of the changes that we as a business have been through since our last impact report, but one thing’s for sure, our ethos remains the same
Our vision
At Borough Broth, we're committed to making nutritious and convenient staples with consciously sourced, organic ingredients. We advocate for a return to whole foods, guiding our customers away from ultra-processed alternatives towards real, honest food that benefits our health and the planet
To make this vision a reality, we maintain full control of our supply chain and, rather than outsourcing, we create our broths in our very own London kitchen. We use only organic produce; British bones and British spring water, as well as organic vegetables from our carefully selected suppliers
Our products are at the core of our business, driving our dedication to preventing food waste and treading lightly on the planet Although there are operational and supply chain challenges, our commitment to working with outstanding organic suppliers and partnering with like-minded organisations in a supportive, collaborative, and forward-thinking environment remains unwavering.
This report celebrates our wins whilst focussing on continued desire to strive for better results and solutions across the key areas of the business.
Founder Hello
Ros Heathcote
Founder & MD
Hello and welcome to the Borough Broth Impact Report for 2023
This report serves many purposes, and it’s always a real pleasure to put it together It gives us a chance to celebrate the milestones we ’ ve reached as a team over the past year It’s great to look back and remind ourselves of the achievements we ’ ve made, the initiatives we ’ ve launched, the changes we ’ ve embraced, and the challenges we ’ ve overcome. As a growing business, it’s so important to take a moment to lift our heads and acknowledge all of our hard work
We have had so many wins since the report came out last year and those that I’m particularly proud of are:
Expanding our distribution with a key listings in Waitrose 1 Expanding our team with key hires across marketing and customer service 2. Completing BCorp recertification (see more later on !) 3
With expansion comes opportunity. More people now know about Borough Broth, we ’ re selling more broth, and we ’ re launching new products But with each of these opportunities comes responsibility
The bigger we become, the more resources we need whether that’s ingredients, packaging, or warehouse space So, it’s even more important that we stay true to our values and ensure that, as we grow, our impact on the planet doesn’t
Some highlights from this year that you’ll find in the report include:
Helping more people in need by donating food and money to charitable organisations Ensuring our customer feedback is heard and actioned on Contributing to the creation of more biofuel through our partnership with ReFood
Borough Broth is a massive team effort, with everyone pulling in the same direction our team, our suppliers, and our customers I’m so proud to continue to lead this company and am excited to see what we will achieve in the years to come
Meeting the Challenge
Let's Get to the Bones of the Matter
The Challenge
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s all too easy to prioritise convenience and instant gratification over sustainability. But we mustn’t forget that our food choices don’t just impact our own health they can also have a significant effect on the health of the planet
We know from numerous studies that organic ingredients often contain more nutrients than their non-organic counterparts By reducing the use of synthetic pesticides and embracing regenerative farming practices, farms can improve the health of the soil. Healthy, vibrant soil leads to nutrient-rich crops that nourish our bodies and contribute to our overall well-being
How Do We Meet That Challenge?
At Borough Broth, we ’ re proudly certified organic by the Soil Association This means all of our ingredients come from farms that are free from synthetic pesticides, where animal welfare is a top priority, and where protecting human health and safeguarding the environment are at the heart of everything
We’re passionate about supporting small businesses, especially those based in the UK, whenever the supply chain allows We prefer to scale down rather than up whenever possible, fostering personal relationships and helping our suppliers grow. It’s important to us that all of our suppliers align with our core values
Goodness in Every Pouch
We believe in doing things right: the best organic ingredients make the best organic broth
We create delicious, versatile products that reflect the quality of homemade whilst never compromising on the provenance of consciously sourced organic ingredients
We only use organic British bones, slow-cooked for 24 hours
Our organic veg is wonky, crinkle cut and great for minimising food waste - all the nutrients and flavour retained in the veg which would otherwise be thrown away
We use British spring water from Aqua Direct and bring it all together in our kitchen in London
Source of natural Collagen
High in Protein
Our Score
Brough Broth first certified in 2021 and, since then, we have been striving to continuously improve all areas of impact - it drives us every day, and the work never stops
We knew we were making great strides since that first certification and we were confident that we had significantly progressed across the piece but we were still blown away when our recertification score was confirmed
We set ourselves a target to increase our score from 81 1 in 2021 to over 100 and we are absolutely thrilled with our new score of 101 1 points
Median score for non-Bcorp businesses
Qualifies for B Corp Certification
2023 Performance
Our Performance
What We Said We'd Do
Improve B Corp Score
Governance
Take the right steps to advise staff of living values and equality
Offer refreshment courses to qualified first aiders
Further show appreciation to our employees by developing an employee of the month scheme
Team
Community
Migrate documents from paper to digital and only use professional signature software
Build a green lunch area for company staff, inclusing bench seating and natural greenery
Create a formalised way of contributing that we can speak about with our customers, aligned to our larger company values and based on sales
Continue to donate under Alternative Black Friday campaign and develop new charity actions
Organise a charity day whereby staff are paid to support local charities
Showcase and celebrate our farmers and suppliers by creating a dedicated portal on our website
Environment
Customers
Move to plant based cleaning chemicals in common areas
Produce biomass fuel from waste such as wood, recycleable plastic or animal fats
Make customer reviews more visible on our website with overal start ratings for products and clear customer visibility
Record customer feedback to spot patterns and trends to improve the customer experience
Create clear internal written policy documents for complaint handling
Improve the process on how we can build up our communication between our clients and shipping
Complete!
Complete
Complete
We have not yet completed this but feel this is incredibly important for team morale and performance whilch is why we'll be rolling this over into next years' goals We have, however, improved the employee review process by introducing weekly 1:1 and an annual staff survey
Complete
Complete
We had hoped to give back through our water supplier but, unfortunately, this option fell through so we are presently looking into other options
We continued with our Alternative Black Friday event in 2023 Across Black Friday weekend, we gave 20% of all our online sales to charity and, in 2023, we donated £993 to City Harvest, a London-based charity which redistributes free surplus food We also donated food to them throughout the year and this continues into 2024
Although we explored several opportunities to achieve this in 2023, we ultimately couldn't find the right fit for our business In 2024, we ’ re committed to redoubling our efforts to give back to our community in this way
Our website now proudly features a page which showcases some of our farmers In 2024, we are working hard to build on these relationships further and our farmers wil be featuring more in our communications to customers
Complete - via ReFood
All reviews approved on a weekly basis and displayed on our website
Each Friday, all reviews are collated and discussed by our team - keeping the customer voice at the heart of everything we do
Complaint log updated as and when a complaint is raised Secondary report outlining refunded orders and the reasoning behind themFinal report outlining any warehousing issues that have resulted in orders being in correct
Sometimes delays happen with our courier and it's imperative that we keep the customer informed of the status of their order To ensure information is easily available we have:1 Set up an email template which is activated as soon as any delays occur so communications can go directly to affected customers2 Upgraded our phone systems so that we can provide up to date information about any delays in our welcome message - customers no longer have to wait for a customer services representative to be available
Performance Focus
Our Team
Our team is the heart of our business and we ’ re constantly looking at ways to make Borough Broth an incredible place to work. We are committed to the health and wellbeing of our team and offer a number of initiatives to make that happen:
Being a London Living Wage Employer and by not offering zero hours contracts, we help the financial health of our teams
By offering private medical coverage, we are aiding the physical health of our employees too
And, on top of that, we have initiatives across the business which ensure the mental health of our teams - including team events, reasonable shift patterns and generous holidays
Nozerohourscontracts
Our Supply Chain
We source only the best organic meat and vegetables for our products - aligning with suppliers who share our values and working with them to improve processes and decrease our impact on the planet.
We make sure we have full control of our supply chain by creating our broths in our very own kitchen rather than outsourcing.
We sell to a variety of customers including ecommerce, retailers and wholesalers.
Our Community
From our annual Alternative Black Friday event to our work with our community partners - we ’ re committed to giving back
A Green Alliance report from 2019 suggests that nearly all Black Friday purchases end up as waste And although we know that, unlike many electronics and non-food goods, our broths are more likely to end up in happy bellies than in landfills, we don’t want to encourage customers to purchase above their wants or needs this period.
For the third year running, we have donated a percentage our online sales from Black Friday weekend to charity In 2023, we donated 20% of all sales to City Harvest, a charity who redistributes surplus food across London and beyond.
We also donated over 200kg of broth to be made into food for those in need.
For our customers in London, we use Packfleet for our deliveries With an all electric fleet and modern technology, they are helping us get our broth our customers in the best possible fashion In 2023, we saved 121kg of CO2 as well as a reduction in air and noise pollution.
In 2023, we joined the Buy Women Built (BWB) community Polls suggest that 81% of 11 - 18 year olds cannot name a single female entrepreneur BWB works to raise the profile of women built brands This not only lifts up existing entrepreneurs but also allows the next generation of girls to dream bigger. And the bigger girls dream, the stronger and fairer our economy will be
Environment
At Borough Broth, our commitment to the environment is as strong as our dedication to crafting exceptional bone broth From sourcing our bones and ingredients from Organic British farmers to using the most sustainable packaging available, we ’ ve put time and effort into ensuring that every step of our bone broth journey reflects our mission to use business as a force for good.
Recyclable Pouches
Our packaging is now 100% recyclable.
In 2023, we proudly launched our new BPA and phthalate-free recyclable pouch after working closely with our partners to innovate a solution we could stand behind.
We understand that plastic can sometimes get a bad reputation, but we believe our plastic packaging is actually more sustainable than glass jars for a few key reasons:
Transportation Efficiency: Its lighter weight and compact design reduce transport costs and carbon emissions
Waste Reduction: Glass has a high breakage rate, leading to more waste In contrast, our packaging has significantly lower wastage levels.
Better Boxes
In 2023, we changed the way we pack our bone broths
We moved away from using sheep’s wool for insulation and adopted a corrugated thermal packaging solution, eliminating the need for wool entirely
This change has made things easier for our warehouse team, reduced costs, and allowed our customers to dispose of the packaging more easily through kerbside recycling.
It’s a win-win for everyone.
Environment
Food Waste
We’re passionate about reducing food waste Naturally our bone broth is a reflection of this as we use ingredients that are by-products of the food industry, which are then turned into delicious pouches of broth for people to enjoy.
We also work with ReFood, a producer of renewable energy from food waste, who turn what little waste we end up with into clean and green energy and biofuel to power businesses and communities across the UK
This is achieved through Anaerobic Digestion: a natural process that biologically breaks down organic material to generate large amounts of biogras, rather than losing it to the atmosphere.
In the last year alone we have:
43,913 hours of renewable energy created
74 tonnes of CO2 saved through displacement
Our Customers
At the absolute heart of Borough Broth are our customers Since our last impact report we have taken strides to improve our customer journey and experience, to ensure that our customers are not only receiving great quality products but an excellent level of customer service and care too The results of our work have been reflected in our 2023 Net Promoter Score, our annual customer survey and the amazing reviews, feedback and even awards we ’ ve received throughout the year.
Net Promoter Score
Our Net Promoter Score (which measures how likely customers are to recommend us to others) was 64, which is classed as
Our Annual Customer Survey
Borough Broth rate far higher than all competitors on flavour with over 88% of those surveyed rating the flavour 8 and above. HOW DO
YOU RATE THE FLAVOUR OF [BRAND'S] BROTH?
Our Customers
Since 2017, we ’ ve been really proud to get a fair few nationally-recognised awards under our belt. From the Great Taste Awards, to the Nourish Awards, we ’ ve been recognised for our commitment to creating delicious products and our use of organic ingredients
Gaining these awards are hugely beneficial for boosting team morale and also as social proof for our customers, whether they’re looking to shop with us for the very first time or the tenth Proving time and time again that Borough Broth is as every bit as good as we say it is!
Our Awards
The Nourish Awards are the UK’s leading industry awards for healthy food, beverages, and supplement products In 2023, we took the GOLD Award for our Low FODMAP Chicken Bone Broth
BOOM Awards are the Best of Organic, the UK’s only organic awards In 2023, we won the award for Best Organic Product in the Chilled and Frozen category
Since 2017 we have consistently won awards for the flavour of our broths and it's not just the Great Taste judges, our customers also agree and 2023 was no different: we proudly won another two awards: for our Free-range Organic Chicken Broth and for our Grass-Fed Organic Lamb Broth
Here’s what our customers say about us
We are really proud to receive great customer feedback. This helps us to know we ’ re on the right track when it comes to our products, customer experience and even staying true to our core mission and values Great feedback also helps to boost team morale, as well as informs and guides our decision making when it comes to product development, our customer service experience and our environmental impact
Here’s some examples of great customer feedback we ’ ve received this year:
‘The main reason I buy from you is because I love the fact that you have onion and garlic free options which makes your broth great for my IBS’
‘It’s the best bone broth’.
‘It’s really tricky to find organic bone broth and I’m so glad that I found Borough Broth, I can’t fault it!’
‘I love your brand and ethos on caring for the planet is an added bonus but most important is how delicious and good it makes me feel’.
‘Delighted to have found your products. They are so versatile from quick soup type dishes to full blown soup and stews. Just love them’.
‘Great taste and have really noticed a difference in my skin, hair and energy since I've been drinking bone broth’.
‘Absolutely love your bone broth and cooking fats. Love that animals are grass fed and well looked after. Shines through in the taste of your products’.
‘Very grateful you provide an organic tasty bone broth’.
‘Have really loved it and have recommended it to two of my friends to help with healing processesone when she had a baby and another who has had a cancer related mastectomy’.
Looking Ahead
What to look out for in 2024
We are so proud of our business: the products we create, the manner in which we create them and the way we work with all of our communities However, being B Corp certified means we are committed to continuous improvement With that in mind, here are our goals for 2024.
Governance
Team
Community
Implement a Quarterly Business Advisory Board
Enhancing our internal audit processes to ensure greater transparency and accountability across all areas of the business
Annual bonuses
Implement a new HR system with better features for employees
Provide free sanitary products to staff across our site
Create a formalised way of contributing
Organise a staff charity day
Attend events to ensure we have a better understanding of our supplier landscape and challenges.
Environment
Customers
Changing our water delivery from bottles to reusable containers
Reducing emissions from distribution
Reducing electricity usage to removal of storage containers
Written policies in place for ethical marketing, advertising and customer engagement
Enhance the privacy & security of customer data
Thank You
2023 has been another great year of progress at Borough Broth. We’re incredibly proud of all of the changes we’ve implemented, while still keeping our core mission and values at the very heart of everything we do. This has all in been in thanks to the hard work from our talented and dedicated team, our amazing suppliers and stockists, and of course our wonderful customers.