History

Soup has always been a part of our lives, it’s possibly the first ever recipe style of cooking in culinary history. The first evidence we have found are clay pots scorched by high heat, found in caves throughout China, circa 20,000 BC; however, similar evidence has been found from northern Spain all the way up into Belarus. While it may not be the classic chicken noodle we all know, it was something that extended the hunting/gathering rewards we had for that day. It was a way to keep warm, a way to keep going and in some cases a way to stay alive.

Based on some of our earliest mentions of soup we can see a culinary similarity between every culture. While flavors, spice level, and ingredients may change the fact remains that every culture has a soup. So in a way soup is like a hand shake from one culture to another, we may not speak the same language but we all speak soup.

Soup has had a place in history at some of our best and worst times, fighting hunger and saving lives. For example, during the Irish potato famine in the late 1800’s, Quakers started their own sort of soup kitchens to defeat hunger when there was nothing else to eat. Hence… The Soupers! Additionally, soup kitchens began in the 1920’s during the Great Depression to feed those in need. For these reasons, we think it’s important to honor the heritage and importance of soup. Our pledge is that $1 will be donated for every soup sold to originations that help fight hunger.