Fig Food(TM) Company Brings Delicious Heart Healthy Soups to U.S. Consumers

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Nov 11, 2010, 07:40 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Fig Food™ Company, LLC announced today that its portfolio of organic soups is now available across the United States through Whole Foods Markets and other natural food stores.

"First and foremost, Fig Food soups taste yummy," said President and Company Founder Joel Henry. "We cook our soups to bring the most flavor to each spoonful. We use real garlic and yellow onion, not garlic and onion powder; authentic herbs, like epazote in the Yucatan Black Bean; and even leave the peels on the Yukon Gold potatoes, because that is where the most flavor and nutrients are."

Made primarily of ingredients from North American farms, the soups are 100 percent plant-based and are certified organic and kosher. With only 200-260 mg of sodium per serving, the soups are a delicious option for consumers seeking convenient choices that are also good for them.

Fig Food offers four ready-to-eat varieties (Tuscan White Bean, Umbrian Lentil, Yucatan Black Bean, Gran Farro e Fagioli) and three condensed varieties (Tomato, Wheatberry and Split Pea). The ready-to-eat varieties offer an easy meal, while the condensed varieties pair nicely with a salad or sandwich and can also be used for cooking.

"Beyond great-tasting, healthy food, Fig Food Company is poised to address three of the most pressing issues Americans face today: health care, fossil fuel independence and the reduction of greenhouse gases," said Henry. "Eating more plant-based food, as a percent of your total diet, will improve your health and the health of the planet."

Important to the company's mission are efforts to reduce America's dependence upon fossil fuels. Organic agriculture requires 19 percent less energy than conventional agriculture for comparable production. In addition, encouraging people to eat more plant-based food can help reduce the proliferation of greenhouse gases and improve the environment, as current animal agricultural practices are responsible for 18 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, a higher share than the total transportation industry.

While plans include expanding to other ready-to-eat meal options, Fig Food's product line began with soups, a growing category in the food industry.

"Everyone eats soup. In fact more than 8 out of every 10 households have soup in their cupboard or pantry," said Henry. "And personally, I love soup and wanted to create an option that I would enjoy eating when I do not have time to cook. There is no other soup like it on the market."

Fig Food Company was named a semi-finalist in the 2009 NY Green Business Competition and was accepted into New York City's first business incubator at 160 Varick Street. Started by Mayor Bloomberg under the auspices of the NYC EDC and administered by NYU/Poly, the incubator offers community and resources to burgeoning entrepreneurs in NYC.

"When we established the incubator at 160 Varick Street, we wanted to help entrepreneurs succeed, while creating products, services and, in time, jobs that would boost our economy," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "The success of Fig Food, one of the incubator's first tenants to take consumer products to market, demonstrates that our initiatives like the incubator are working to jumpstart the City's economy. Congratulations to Joel Henry and Fig Food on this exciting milestone."

Henry has more than 20 years in the Food and Beverage industry, including operational and strategic leadership roles at the Campbell Soup Company, Kraft Foods and Diageo North America.

Additional information about Fig Food Company can be found at http://www.figfoodcompany.com.

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