The Spare Food Co. is driven by a mission to reduce wasted food by taking overlooked ingredients and creating delicious new foods and beverages.
Their first creation is a category-defining effervescent drink called Spare Tonic made from whey that would otherwise have been discarded, plus only three other ingredients: fruit, spice and a touch of honey added as the fermentation catalyst.
This refreshing take on an ancient elixir naturally provides a good source of protein, is rich in electrolytes including calcium, magnesium and potassium, and is an excellent source of vitamins B-12 and B-6. It has a natural 3:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, which makes it ideal as a post-workout recovery beverage. Each 12-ounce serving contains 100 – 120 calories.
Spare Tonic is available in four flavors: Lemon & Ginger, Cucumber & Lime, Blueberry & Ginger, and Peach & Turmeric. It is sold in the refrigerated beverage section in 12-oz cans at an average retail price of $3.99/can.
Why Whey?
The upcycled food movement is all about all about elevating food to its highest and best use. Every can of Spare Tonic is made with approximately 85 – 95% whey that would have otherwise been discarded from the production of strained yogurt.
For every one cup of strained yogurt produced, two cups of whey are created. Because whey is naturally acidic, it must be neutralized before going into the waste stream or it could wreak havoc on the ecosystem. It is estimated that in NY State alone, where 70% of strained yogurt consumed in the US is produced, more than one billion pounds of whey is created annually.
Spare Tonic captures what would have been the lost value of this whey (nutritionally, economically and environmentally) and crafts it into a delicious beverage. To source their whey, Spare Food partnered with The White Moustache in Brooklyn, NY who use milk from Hudson Valley, NY dairy farms. Since Spare Food has started purchasing the excess whey to make Spare Tonic, The White Moustache has been able to expand their yogurt production, which in turn means they have been able to hire more people and buy more milk from these family dairy farms.
“The ethos of The Spare Food Co. is captured in every can of Spare Tonic,” said co-founder Chef Adam Kaye. “We take an unused ingredient and craft it into a delicious food. In the process, we eliminate climate-destructive waste, support a regional food system of farmers, producers and vendors, and bring a healthful product to market.”
Fixing the Broken Food System
Brothers Adam and Jeremy Kaye founded The Spare Food Co. after engaging and working directly with farmers and producers. Adam spent almost two decades working side-by-side with Chef Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns as Chef, Culinary Director and educator. The idea for The Spare Food Co. crystallized after he co-created the immensely successful wastED pop-up restaurant concepts in New York and London. Soon after, Adam and Jeremy partnered to find more ways to use more of what typically gets overlooked and unused.
Around 30 – 40% of food produced in the United States gets wasted. Much of this wasted food ends up in landfills where it decomposes and releases methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 28-times more potent than carbon dioxide with 80-times the warming power. It is estimated that 25% of global carbon emissions are related to food production (YouGov, January 2020). Minimizing the impact food systems have on the climate crisis starts by preventing food from being wasted.
“We are committed to showing how a better food system and food choices can reverse the effects of climate change. It’s at the heart of everything we do and it’s the story behind every sip of Spare Tonic,” said co-founder Jeremy Kaye.
Spare Tonic was recently named a finalist in the 2022 Good Food Awards. It is available to order from Imperfect Foods, FreshDirect, Farm to People, and in specialty food stores throughout New York and Connecticut.
About The Spare Food Co.
The Spare Food Co. is at the forefront of a new food movement called upcycling. Using the innovative culinary skills of co-founder Chef Adam Kaye (former Culinary Director at Blue Hill at Stone Barns), and the socially-conscious business experience of his brother, Jeremy (Patagonia, Nike) Spare Food’s mission is to fix the broken food system and find more ways to use more of what’s already grown and produced, taking overlooked and unused ingredients and crafting them into delicious, craveable foods and beverages that are better for people and the planet. For more information, visit sparefood.com/, and for inspiration and recipes follow Spare Food on Facebook or Instagram.
For More Information:
https://sparefood.com/