Turning Surplus Fruit into Sustainable Food Powders with Nim’s Naturally
- Growing Kent & Medway
- Jan 7
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Nim's Naturally, a Kent-based snack producer, is achieving its zero-waste ambition, supported by Growing Kent & Medway, by turning surplus dried fruit and veg into a new range of products. This R&D project developed recipes for affordable meal kits and snack bars, creating new revenue streams and tackling the challenge of food waste in the agri-food sector.
At A Glance: Project Quick Facts
Project Lead: Nim's Naturally (formerly Nim's Fruit; Nimisha Raja MBE)
Collaborators: Maman in the Cuisine (Recipe Development)
Total Funding: £45,004 (Grant Awarded: £22,502 / Co-investment: £22,502)
Key Findings: Successfully developed 10-12 new recipes for meal kits and snacks; Granola bars and baking powders ready for retail launch; Found that achieving product consistency (e.g., binding and texture) was a key R&D challenge.
Food System Areas:
The Challenge: From Surplus Product to a New Commercial Problem
Nimisha Raja MBE, founder of Nim's Naturally, is driven by a core mission: to achieve zero food waste. Her Sittingbourne factory was already producing award-winning air-dried fruit and veg crisps, but to avoid throwing anything away, Nimisha was storing tonnes of surplus dried product – small pieces and off-cuts – in containers on-site.
This created a costly problem. As Nimisha recalls: "We didn’t want to start throwing anything away, but we also didn’t have the space [for storage]... and buying extra containers was costing me." After securing one of our small grants to purchase a large grinder, she solved the space problem by turning the surplus into fine powder. But this created a new challenge: what to do with 20-30 tonnes of valuable, nutritious powder with no route to market?
The Innovative Idea: Affordable, Sustainable Meal Solutions
This stockpile of fruit and veg powder led to the strategic decision to commercialise it by developing an entirely new range of high-value products. The goal was to move beyond just selling powders and create affordable, convenient, and healthy snacks and meal kits that addressed consumer needs around health and the rising cost of living.
This product innovation aimed to prove that waste-derived powders could be the primary ingredient in a new line of granola bars, soft fruit balls, and instant meal kits. This would create a powerful circular economy model, turning a sunk cost – and a storage headache – into a significant new revenue stream.
The Approach: R&D Trials for Product Formulation
This 6-month project focused on the complex R&D needed to turn the raw powders into viable, shelf-stable consumer goods. The methodology involved intensive trials to solve key technical challenges, particularly finding the right natural binding agents to create a dough that could be rolled and cut into crisps or bars without crumbling.
The team, collaborating with recipe developers like Maman in the Cuisine, worked to perfect the consistency, flavour, and crunch. As Nimisha noted, this was not straightforward: "Getting the right consistency, thickness, flavour, crunch, etc was a lot more challenging than we anticipated... The challenge is to have patience to see the project come into full fruition over time."
The Results: A New Product Range Ready for Launch
The project successfully delivered a range of market-ready products, validating the R&D process. The team finalised 10-12 recipes for meal kits and developed granola bars and new packaging for the powders, readying them for an initial Amazon launch to gather sales data before a wider retail approach.
This new capability has already unlocked significant commercial opportunities and high-profile partnerships. Nimisha confirmed the immediate impact: "It’s really opened up new opportunities for us. Just yesterday, we got sign-off from Zizzi Restaurants on a custom powder mix we created for them, which is brilliant."
See it Differently: Turning 30 Tonnes of Food Waste into Profit
Looking Forward: From Waste Powders to a Major Business Pillar
With the concept proven, Nim's Naturally is now focused on scaling this new arm of the business. Nimisha anticipates this new category will become a major part of the company's future: "At the moment, powders account for around 7–8% of our revenue but... we are looking at the powders to be a very significant part of our business."
The company is now seeking further grants and access to research facilities to continue refining the products, particularly the binding process. This project demonstrates how targeted R&D can transform a sustainability challenge into a core commercial strength, creating a model for Kent's agri-food sector.
Our Support: Facilitating Focused R&D
This R&D project was supported by one of our medium-sized grant programmes. The funding provided the critical capital for the intensive six-month trial-and-error phase, which was essential for solving the technical formulation challenges.
Nimisha highlighted the value of the support: "These grants... play a crucial role in supporting our ongoing innovation and the development of sustainable, health-conscious products... I highly recommend that anyone interested should apply. Unlike some grants, Growing Kent & Medway offers personalised guidance throughout the process.”
