Lancaster University student who founded ‘wonky bread’ business named as judge at baking industry’s ‘Oscars’

James Eid, 21, founded Earth & Wheat in March 2021 and last October his subscription box start-up was awarded the Sustainability Initiative of the Year at the Baking Industry Awards, hosted by actress, television presenter and comedian Sally Phillips.

James’s FoodTech brand, which rescues baked goods - such as pancakes, crumpets and tortilla wraps - from bakeries in the UK that would have otherwise been thrown in the bin due to their odd shape or size, has grown exponentially since he set it up more than two years ago.

Backed by its parent group Signature Flatbreads, Earth & Wheat quickly installed a full sales, marketing and operations team to deal with orders after James's ‘wonky bread’ box sold 10,000 units in its first 12 weeks of inception.

Earth & Wheat has expanded into other markets, including the ‘wonky veg’ sector, and recently underwent a brand refresh, positioning itself as a ‘sustainable premium grocery subscription box’.

It continues to donate one meal for every box sold to food charities.

This week the brand also launched the world’s first all-in-one bread and veg box combination box which contains the most popular fresh wonky and surplus bread rescued from bakeries and perfectly imperfect but tasty vegetables redistributed from farms.

Now James will be a judge himself at the black tie BIA Awards, which is being held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on November 7.

James, who has now completed his Business Management degree at Lancaster University, said: “I am honoured to be an independent judge for the BIA's Sustainability Initiative of the Year 2023.

"Last year, Earth & Wheat won this prestigious award and I extend my continued congratulations to the team.

“Earth & Wheat rescues and delivers sustainable groceries, so our customers can continue to taste more and waste less."

Amy North, editor of British Baker magazine, said: “We’re thrilled to be joined by guest judge James Eid from last year’s award winners Earth & Wheat. With their strategic focus on making a positive impact on the environment, James’s expertise and experience in this area makes him the perfect addition to our internal judging panel.”