I started my career as a sustainability campaigner, working with companies like Hubbub, Unilever, and Sainsburys. Even though I am passionate about food sustainability and enjoy my work, I realise that while raising awareness is important, better infrastructure is essential for scalable and long-term solutions against the climate crisis. This is where Ming [Zhao, co-founder and CCO of Cauli] and I came together to start Cauli, with a mission to tackle a particularly tough waste stream in the food supply chain, single-use packaging waste, through smart reuse solutions. I grew up in Hong Kong, then moved to India at 16 to finish high school. I attended United World College, which to my delight was situated on a nature reserve. It helped forge my connection with nature, as animals such as rabbits, peacocks and snakes roamed the grounds, and it was surrounded by incredible plants too.

This sparked my initial interest in the environment, and the preservation of its beauty. When you live somewhere so beautiful, how could you not want to protect it? I went on to study psychology and chemistry at university in the US, completing a placement in an oceanography lab where we primarily studied climate change. The impact that climate change is having on the oceans was alarmingly clear. I couldn’t understand why more serious conversations were not being had in the mainstream, when all these expert scientists were stressing how urgent it was to address. When studying global health science in the UK, my knowledge of food and food waste started to expand, and I couldn’t understand how we wasted so much food, when so many people were living in food poverty. This was where my campaigning began, along with a career in sustainability. 

There’s always a lightbulb moment before the beginning of a new venture. What was that moment for you?

I was working in an office in London, which proudly boasted sustainability, for example not using printers and wasting paper, but I noticed that the biggest source of waste was the single use packaging from food. London has a vibrant street food scene that I have always loved, but I couldn't help but wonder why single use plastics and disposable packaging was still standard practice. I wanted to build an infrastructure that would help caterers stop using single use packaging, alongside my friend Ming who shares my passion for achieving sustainable goals. Ming had been leading sales teams across Europe, UK, China, and the Middle East, and we had been keen to work together with our complimentary skill sets. 

Tell us about your journey into this marketBefore launching Caulibox, I was involved in food sustainability campaigns, trying to reduce food waste. I ran social enterprise DayOld which sold leftover baked goods at events and parties to raise money for food poverty charities.

My highlight was probably organising and mobilising a volunteer network of over 300 people to save food from landfill. Following this, I was recognised as “London’s food waste hero” and won a special “Women in Food” award from London Food Link and the Mayor of London for my work in food waste reduction.

How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?

Our aim with Cauli was to create the most simple and accessible infrastructure to help businesses reach their green goals, as when sustainable habits are as simple as wasteful ones, they are the most successful. We pioneered QR codes into sustainable tech. Cauli is focused on building the most accessible infrastructure that helps the catering companies to eliminate single-use plastic. Unlike many founders in this space, Ming and are experts in sustainability and business development. As the UK’s first reusable food packaging provider, our first-mover advantage is manifested in our industry insights and supply chain integration which are 12 - 18 months ahead of our UK competitors.

This means our business model and products are mature, having been tested and adopted by some of the largest customers in the world. We are a truly plug-and-go solution. Our innovative business model excludes having to manage the logistics of collecting, washing and redistributing containers, which all our competitors do, making our operations light and highly scalable. It also reduces friction for the customer, lowers cost and increases their loyalty.

While our competitors are all B2C-oriented and make money from “cost per use”, we focus on B2B and make money from flat fees which guarantee steady revenues and provide ample scope for cross-selling and upselling within a set and extendable contract period. We deliver measurable impact to customers which forms a big part of their net-zero strategy. Our customers have consistently told us we are the only product on their sites that clearly demonstrates CO2, waste, water and electricity saving data, which then is translated directly to their CSR goals. Our advancement to incorporate NFC technology in replacement of QRs will enable us to introduce any types of containers (from cups to pizza boxes) and provide a one-stop shop for customers to ditch disposables. We can seamlessly introduce this upgrade to existing customer sites, with profit forecast to grow by 175% per site, while the no. of new clients is set to increase 5X in the next 12 months.

Why do you think now is the right time for the world to begin exploring and adopting technology that aids sustainability?

It's been time to act for a while now, people were just not realising it. For young people, this is their future. Investing time and effort into it is in their interest, as the problem is only going to keep growing. Trying to make a positive impact now is an investment in our futures, and the futures of the younger generation. We should be innovating tech to address the problems that waste is causing. Reusables are the simplest and most effective choice for this. 

What plans do you have for CauliBox over the next two years?

We are developing our technology which will improve our data collection and automation. In the future, the tech stack of our tracking system will allow much more granular usage data to be collected. We are also developing a pre order feature on our app, which assists clients in predicting volume of orders and then help them forward plan.

Our goal will continue to be making reuse as easy as possible in order to make sustainable practices accessible, maximising eco-friendly practice through our technology. 

How did you conquer those moments of doubt that so often affect entrepreneurs or stop many with great ideas – what pushes you through?

Passion needs to be at the root of all of your ventures. If you don’t truly love and believe in what you’re doing, then it will quickly grow tiresome. Starting a business requires a lot of labour, most of it very unglamorous, because you have to do everything yourself. In your hardest moments, you must remember what is driving you and be strong in the belief that you can achieve your dreams.

What are your top tips for entrepreneurs wanting to get their business out there?

Start simple, start small, start local. Research the market you want to tackle, build the simplest MVP, test it with the people around you, and go from there. Entrepreneurs are ambitious, and I have seen passionate founders cramming enough ideas for three businesses into a single venture, overwhelming themselves and ultimately failing because the problem they are trying to solve becomes too complicated to even start. The best way to start is to start badly; take all the insights you get and start the process again.

Ming and I started Cauli with £200 between us, one street food stall, 10 participants and a few off-the-shelf boxes. Through continuous prototyping and market research, we keep on improving our solution, and Cauli has snowballed to us now working with global catering companies and international companies, servicing hundreds of people every day.

Working with a co-founder can be tricky, so understanding and compromise is important. How have you both found the process of building a business together? What makes it work?

I am incredibly lucky with my co-founder, and I wouldn't be able to do this without her. Making sure that your partner shares your passion and vision is key to creating an enduring alliance. Ming is able to do things that I can’t, lessening the burden that a business can carry, and broadening the skillset that we have to offer. There is also something to be said for companionship and not feeling that you are facing every challenge alone.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

Leaders are critically crucial and lamentably useless at the same time. Itay Talgam describes leaders as orchestra conductors - organisations can function without a leader, much like an orchestra can play without a conductor, but the danger of chaos looms close. I am surrounded by people who are smarter and more talented than I am; rather than trying to micromanage, my job is to inspire passion, make sure we are going at the right pace and create an environment where my team members’ talents shine, weaving our strengths into a spectacular piece of work.

Describe your business in three words.

Smart Sustainable Reusables