The longest established fresh pasta and noodle company in the UK, Ugo Foods Group has been supplying its products since 1929. The company is constantly innovating Italian-inspired dishes with premium fresh ingredients. Head of CSR Freddie Ugo discussed sustainability and the company’s new waste solution. Report by Antonia Cole.
Afamily-run business that’s passionate about food, Ugo Foods Group is committed to creating delicious products, according to Head of CSR Freddie Ugo.
Ugo Foods meticulously selects its ingredients to ensure each product delivers an exceptional experience. Under the Dell’Ugo brand, Ugo offers fresh pasta, breads and sauces. The company is now combining these options to provide consumers with meal solutions full of traditional flavours. British free-range golden eggs and premium
semolina flour create products that look, taste and feel authentic and appetising. These high-quality products bring classic flavours to the table, allowing consumers to enjoy a restaurant-style meal at home.
“We are constantly seeking to introduce authentic products to the Dell’Ugo range,” Mr Ugo added. “Pasta is at the core of our business, but our recent introduction of Pinsa bread to the UK has been a resounding success. It is a 72-hour fermented,
hand-stretched Italian sourdough, accompanied with flavoured butters. Pinsa is very versatile and has proven to be very popular so far.”
Innovation also comes in the form of packaging for the Dell’Ugo brand. Ugo Foods has an in-house design team who work to create disruptive packaging that showcases the product and makes it stand out on the shelf. With larger product windows, Dell’Ugo brand visually displays the actual product’s quality to attract consumers.
“Our best-selling product is our Dell’Ugo Crab and Crayfish Raviolo, combining both British and Italian flavours,” added Mr Ugo. “It was featured on the BBC’s Inside the Factory last year, where customers got to see the entire production process. We are proud of the innovation in our manufacturing process, which allows us to ensure the texture of the filling is as you would make at home. You could even have a whole crayfish tail in your pasta parcel.”
Beyond belief brewing
Over the years, Ugo Foods has implemented initiatives to reduce waste and improve sustainability across all areas of the business. Dough waste was an area the family sought
to address. Consequently, internal systems have been devised to minimise dough waste throughout the production process, leading to a substantial reduction of approximately two-thirds of waste within the past year.
But this was not 100%, and Ugo Foods still generated an amount of unavoidable surplus.
To combat this, Beyond Belief Brewing was founded. This sister company developed a patented process to utilise surplus fresh pasta as a base malt for brewing beer. From a successful experiment during the pandemic to a full-scale production line, the pasta-brewed beer now has listings on Ocado and Bidfood.
“We like to think differently from the rest of the industry,” explained Mr Ugo. “This idea is our innovative waste solution. We were told it wouldn’t work, but it does. Through experimentation, we have found that using 50 per cent pasta and 50 per cent barley delivers the best mouth feel and taste. We are the first in the world to achieve something like this, which is an amazing result from just an attempt to be more sustainable.”
Beyond Belief Brewing uses the largest percentage of surplus to make its alcohol in the industry and doesn’t need to add extra sugar to produce the beer. By using a limited amount of barley, the company minimises water use and mitigates the negative soil impacts of barley production. With Beyond Belief Brewing, consumers can save more in water waste than the amount of liquid in the pint of beer itself.
“Not only have we been recognised with innovation awards for this, but we have also generated a lot of interest with other man-
ufacturers and retailers looking to manage their waste in a similar way,” continued Mr Ugo. “It is a full circular economy solution, and we are looking at how we can implement the concept throughout the industry. Currently, we are investigating how to make beer from excess flapjacks or a combination of surplus sources. The impact of Beyond Belief Brewing will be massive.”
Regenerative research
Ugo Foods is committed to sustainable development and minimising the environmental impact of its products. One area the company is specifically focused on is regenerative agriculture. Flour is one of Ugo Foods’ main ingredients, so the company is trying to source the majority of its flour from regenerative agriculture farms.
“Regenerative agriculture is an industry trend that is about to absolutely boom,” commented Mr Ugo. “People are starting to realise how important soil health is, especially for plant fertility, yields and
Head of CSR Freddie Ugo
resilience. Soil health has been globally impacted, but regenerative agriculture allows us to combat this and promote sustainable practices, while maintaining quality.”
The company is also actively engaging in research and development opportunities. Currently, Ugo Foods is in communication with scientists and industry professionals to research the benefits of regenerative agriculture. The company is aiming to be a leader of sustainability in the sector and innovate effective solutions.
Another trend is the increase in plantbased consumer diets. Plant-based products generally have less impact on the environment and Ugo Foods has been evolving to meet these consumer demands. In a collaboration with THIS, a plant-based food company, Ugo Foods launched THIS
Isn’t Bacon & Cheese Ravioli and THIS isn’t Chicken & Pesto Ravioli into Morrison’s.
“The plant-based market is still increasing, so it is important for us to innovate in that space,” added Mr Ugo. “The collaboration with THIS was really successful and we look forward to working with them again soon. We share the same values of sustainability and creativity, making it a fantastic partnership.”
Diversifying and developing
Ugo Foods plans to continue delivering new and exciting products, expanding upon its meal solutions concept. Combining pastas, sauces, breads and beers, the company is working to provide convenient cooking to consumers. By offering joint promotions between Ugo Foods and Beyond Belief Brewing, the company hopes to promote sustainable buying habits.
“What makes ideas like our meal solutions successful is our ability to work effectively with
our partners and suppliers,” said Mr Ugo. “We make sure that we deliver on our promises, and we expect the same in return. Working with people who uphold the same values leaves us with longstanding relationships. We have maintained some of our supplier relationships for over 30 years, which we will continue.”
The company also makes sure to treat its employees well and offer development opportunities. Ugo Foods does not use agencies and has achieved a very high employee retention rate. Some members of staff have worked at the company for more than 20 years and have progressed into more senior positions. The company supports its employees and gives them the space to grow individually.
“There is so much I love about my job,” continued Mr Ugo, in conclusion. “Seeing people develop their skills and how each individual can impact the business is really rewarding. It is also great to receive positive feedback from our partners and consumers. Knowing that we are doing something good for the planet with products that are high-quality and tasty really drives me.” n
