The UKTN Podcast is back for season three. In the first episode, Eccie Newton, co-founder and CEO of Karma Kitchen, addresses some of the misconceptions surrounding dark kitchens, explains how the sites are “closer to a co-working space” and shares ways to minimise courier traffic in local areas.
Newton co-founded Karma Kitchen with her sister Gini in 2018 after struggling to find kitchen space for their corporate catering delivery company, Karma Cans.
London-based Karma Kitchens buys industrial real estate in “underutilised areas” and converts them into multi-use kitchen spaces for food businesses.
Each site is split into around 50 kitchen areas, working with food delivery delivery aggregators such as Uber or Just Eat, along with other delivery partners.
In 2020, the startup raised £252m from investors and today it has four operational dark kitchens – also known as ghost kitchens – with six more under construction.
During the show, the Karma Kitchen boss tells UKTN Podcast host Jane Wakefield about her journey from chef to chief executive, how dark kitchens can contribute to hyperlocal communities, and how the company raised an additional round of funding that’s never been disclosed before.
Listen to the full episode here, along with all previous episodes of the UKTN Podcast.
This season, the UKTN Podcast is speaking to key tech stakeholders in addition to founders of high-growth startups. Tune in every Tuesday for new episodes and don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.
The UKTN Podcast is sponsored by Sage.