At Sprouts, we stock so many inspiring British businesses who create amazing products, truly love what they do and make the world a better place. We decided we needed to shout more about these amazing companies, but in true Jessy style, we couldn't just let this be a simple social post! So, we have created a brand new blog series interviewing the humans behind these brands. We dig deep into what makes them special, what makes them tick and ask the most important question of all time: what their favourite plants are!
First up we have Amy from Soil Ninja. We have loved Soil Ninja's products since we came across them in 2020, so much so that we were desperate to stock their premium mixes right at the beginning of our journey. At this point, we were running the business out of our spare room, and we remember carrying super heavy boxes of soil up and down the stairs, delivering them to your homes in Bristol during lockdown, and lugging baskets of them around the city for the various markets we were trading at back when restrictions had just lifted. Looking back through my emails, I found that we got in touch with Soil Ninja way back in September 2020 - the same month we started Sprouts! - so they really have been with us from the very start.
Amy and the rest of the Soil Ninja team are such a good bunch of humans and what they do aims to make all our lives easier - see, great bunch of humans! They have created specialist blends of house plant soil, with the needs of the actual plant in question in mind, whilst providing us with an easy and accessible soil. This means we can be lazy with our repotting, and our plants get higher quality substrate too, so we get more time to stare at our luscious plants, whilst our plants are happier and healthier than ever before!
Who are you and what do you do?
Amy, Head of Social and Marketing at Soil Ninja based in Lincolnshire
When did you start your business? What inspired you?
We started Soil Ninja back in 2019, and were inspired by making life easier. We spotted a gap in the market for pre-mixed soil blends focussed specifically on the houseplant market, and making all ingredients affordable and available in more manageable sizes instead of constantly having to buy in bulk. And providing higher quality than every day garden centre soil, too.
You're talking to someone who's never heard of your business! How do you sum it up in one sentence?
We formulated a range of soil blends which are designed to make your houseplant journey simple and help your plants to thrive! Peat free, always, and helping to educate those who want to know more.
Were you always involved in this industry, and if not how did you get into it?
We were never involved with the plant industry before 2019, we were just a group of friends (Jack, Lev, Amy and Jamie) who had loved houseplants for many years, and had an out of control collection. It was always a mystery to us why there was nothing like Soil Ninja already. We saw the need, and knew it would be something that was beneficial for all houseplant enthusiasts like ourselves.
What is your favourite product from everything you've made so far?
It's got to be our iconic Monstera and Philodendron soil mix. It’s chunky, it’s funky and it’s helped so many plants thrive across the UK and EU for the last 5 years!
What's been your biggest business flop? (Anything from a product that didn't sell or was too expensive to produce, to an investment that didn't pay off…) How did you get past it?
One of our original ideas was to make custom blends, allowing customers to choose specific ratios of each components and then we would mix, bag and send it to them. But we realised not a lot of people knew what ratios they wanted, and the person building the system for our website couldn't make what we envisioned work. We're actually so glad this didn't work out, because, oh my god, that would have been mental.
What is your biggest achievement at Soil Ninja to date?
Our big jump as a small business to the EU. We're still working our butts off, knee deep into dirt, but we're growing and it’s been so interesting navigating our business in another country. Plus, we get to appreciate the Dutch culture.
How do you keep Soil Ninja as sustainable as possible?
We put a lot of time and effort into researching and finding sustainable products, ingredients etc. We're as careful as we can be while finding that fine line between practicality and price.
What’s your favourite thing to listen to whilst working?
We have an eclectic music taste on our team. Artists like Chappell Roan, Tyler The Creator, Hard Life, Lofi and a lot of independent artists and people you have to dig a little deeper to find. It changes every day, but the tempo of the music reflects the intensity of the task.
You're talking to someone who's thinking of starting their own business. What one piece of advice do you give?
Look and research the different grants and support schemes the government is offering. We started with nothing, so taking advantage of things like this can really help give you the leg up you need when starting a small business.
What brand is your biggest inspiration, and why?
This is a hard question as we take so much inspiration from all sorts of places. As a designer, with an interior and architecture degree, I would say Thomas Heatherwick is a huge inspiration. He has been a big inspiration to me personally over the last decade. His slick designs, along with how he works in harmony with nature, are so innovative and thought-provoking. Heatherwick's ability to blend creativity with functionality while respecting the environment has profoundly influenced my approach to design, pushing me to consider not just aesthetics but also sustainability and the impact of our business.
Photo from Heatherwick Studio instagram
Looking to the future: what are your goals for Soil Ninja over the next few years?
We hope to expand to parts of the world that have been eager for our blends and Semi-hydro for the last four years. Places like the US and Australia. Not too sure how we will approach these places just yet, but I'm sure we will work it out.
Tell us about your dream client or dream project to work on!
We would absolutely die and go to heaven if we could work with the Eden Project. I don't even know what we'd do, but can you imagine.
Photo from the Eden Project website
You've had the Most Hectic Day. How do you unwind this evening?
Records, games, gardening or tucking into a dirty takeaway. Probably more that last one, we all do it!
Someone's visiting Lincoln for 24 hours. What do they absolutely have to check out?
Lincoln is a lovely place, so definitely go up steep hill and check out the lovely restaurants. But if you are in Zwolle, where we are based in the Netherlands, we recommend hiring a boat and cruising around the canal.
You've won a ticket all-expenses-paid to the destination of your choice! Where in the world are you going, and why?
Japan for sure. We are all foodies and we would happily soak up 3 weeks of Japan’s culture and incredible food.
We always love procrastinating! What one book/film/TV show do you recommend and why?
We're big TV show enthusiasts, did you see Severance? We can't wait for that one to come back.
You have an afternoon off from running your business. What's your favourite way to spend it?
Rollerskating fo' sure! Jamming out and zoning out.
You’ve got a deadline looming and you’re getting supplies to help yourself/the team get through a hectic time. What's at the top of your list?
I would make a matcha and get those supplies sorted ASAP; as I work from home, I need to ensure I'm supporting our small warehouse team as much as I can, so we can meet the deadline.
And most importantly:
What is your favourite plant, and why?
Anthurium Delta Force. Have you seen how stunning that plant is? It's our dream. We're waiting for the price to drop a little more before adding it to our collection. :')
Anthurium Delta Force photographed by @imdaniacastro on instagram
