The Ideas Factory

Every one knows about kale. But, it's surprisingly difficult to cook with, let alone taste nice. We reckon we've cracked it. Big call, we know.

This creamy vegan salad makes a deliciously simple lunch. It's so easy to make, you'll want it with everything!

Did you know that porridge has just overtaken toast as the UK’s favourite breakfast? Whilst we're always partial to a slice of toast slathered with nut butter, in the winter there really is nothing better than a warm bowl of porridge.

Check our vegan soaked porridge for the best recipe you'll ever try!

As loyal followers of our brand journey we owe you a more in depth explanation. What, exactly, has happened over the past month? There’ve been a few changes and it’s only fair we share why. So, in this post we’ll lay bare our thought processes in the name of transparency.

The newly re-branded UpCircle products debuted at London's First Zero Waste Market this December. The event was a huge success - check out the highlights video, featuring UpCircle co-founder Anna!

Let’s be honest, many of us don’t do as much recycling as we could do.  It's not easy to recycle, especially when we don’t see the harmful effects of it, but it’s high time we all turned a little bit more green.

So we've created a handy, go-to recycling guide to make being eco-friendly easier for everyone, including what the recycling symbols mean and some helpful hints on how to recycle smarter.

Masala chai, or chai tea to many of us, is one of the most well-loved drinks in the world. Born in India as an ancient remedy to aches and pains, it is now the new cafe staple. But what is chai? How is it good for us?

Read on to find all about what health benefits chai holds and how we give residual chai spices a new lease of life.

Palm oil is one of the most widely used ingredients in the world, hiding away in everything from bread to shampoo. However, its use has made the news for all the wrong reasons, leading to more and more people jumping off the palm bandwagon. 

Read on to find out why palm oil is so controversial and what alternatives are out there. 

Society deems it unacceptable to take sweets from strangers or terrify the neighbours, yet on Halloween it’s actively encouraged. However, all of the face-paint, sugar-laden goodies and repetitive grimacing can leave your skin looking a little worse for wear.

Bring your skin back from Zombieland with our original DIY spiced pumpkin latte facemask. Who says your pumpkin has to go to waste?

What was the biggest surprise for us going on the show? Spending over three hours being grilled by the Dragons! Standing the whole time, with bright lights beaming at you, answering question after question.

We had no idea what the BBC would decide to show on TV. It could be the worst moment of our lives: embarrassed in front of millions, laughed at and kicked out of the Den. It was terrifying!

It's often been said that only two things in life are certain; death and taxes. However there is one more one thing that's for sure - the fact that no-one likes to see waste.

Keep that chin up though, there are plenty of ways in which everyone can minimise the amount of waste they produce. So delve into our handy guide and help yourself to help everyone. It’d be wasteful not to.

Hemp is still a mystery material to many people, associated with the kind of baskets carried around by aged hippies - but it's so much more than that. It's an amazing, sustainable and totally vegan material that we just love.

In this article, the UpCircle team are here to guide you into the unique world of hemp products.

To chill out, relax and take a load off your mind, there's nowhere better than a day at the spa. Aromatherapy, massages, body scrubs - being seriously pampered is always a great way to spend your time.

In this article, the UpCircle team are here to guide you through the spa-going process, to take you to a seriously chilled out world.

What is activated charcoal and what does it do? In this post, we explain the different uses for activated charcoal and its various benefits in skincare.

Here we explain the benefits of caffeine for skin, whether caffeine can be absorbed by skin, and how to use caffeine skin care products.

It can often seem as though the world's gone a bit gloomy. Oil spills, smoke-spewing factories and unbearable temperatures forcing people to stock up on suncream. 

At UpCircle we think a different future is possible, a better future. So throw open your blinds and look out. The year is 2040, it's bright outside. Welcome to another possibility. 

We’re not one for hyperbole, but we don’t believe we’re exaggerating when we say coffee is quite literally the greatest thing ever. 

As such we feel like it’s our duty to help unmuddle the most impenetrable of subject areas - the coffee shop menu.

In the early days people used a fair bit of meat. Cavemen would sit around a fire after the sun had set, boasting about how many gazelles they’d brought home that night.

However nowadays veganism isn't just accepted, it's become a mainstream movement. Come join us on a journey to find out what changed over all those years.

Where coffee comes from is still a mystery to many.  Regardless of the reasons, we feel it’s not only important, but fascinating to know a bean's journey from shrub to scrub.

So put on your adventure boots and join us, it's going to be quite the ride!

Microbeads, remember them? They’re those tiny dots that were all the rage a few short years ago. Open virtually any facial cleanser and there they were, glittering in the bathroom light.

Why did they become so popular though? And, more importantly, why did they fall from grace?

In this blog we look at what makes a product "organic". A word that is now often used for many skincare products.

Let's understand together what makes an organic product so important.

Have you ever picked up a bottle of shower gel and seen that little squiggly sunflower symbol on the bottle? It’s often small but the meaning behind it is huge. It's vegan skincare.

Here are just a few reasons that its benefits are more than skin deep.

Kermit the frog famously once sang “it’s not easy being green” and if you were to glance on over at any newspaper lying nearby you might be tempted to agree.

But it doesn't have to be that way - thanks to these tips.

What better way to explore how beauty products are made than to make them yourself?

Here are just a few of our favourite DIY beauty recipes. You won't believe how simple they are. 

Co-founder Anna spent the morning with the wonderful hosts of Hoxton Radio chatting about all things UpCircle.

Listen to her radio debut here!

The Clean Hub is a community of clean beauty enthusiasts that seek to educate the beauty world of alternatives to toxic ingredients.

We were thrilled when they contacted us to be a part of their 'Clean Chat' podcast series. Have a listen!

This weekend marked the official 2nd birthday of UpCircle. 

We love looking back to see how far we have come between our three experiences at the show, from day zero, to year one, to year two. We thought it would be fun to take a look back at snapshots from each year!

After recently buying a waffle maker, we have been experimenting big time in the kitchen. The humble waffle maker can produce some incredible dishes when you choose to think outside the box! Take a look at our favourite recipes!

As we get ready to release our new soap bars we caught up with Ash from Henny & Joe's, the chai tea company whose leftover spices have formed the base of our new range!

In the UpCircle Food Waste Series we chat to some of our fave zero waste pioneers: third in the series we chatted with Chloe, founder of nibs etc., who make delicious crackers from juice pulp!

In our food waste blog series we will catch up with some of our fave zero waste pioneers! 

Second in the series we chatted with food waste Snactivists.

In our food waste blog series we will catch up with some of our fave zero waste pioneers! 

First up we chatted with Hannah McCollum, the founder of ChicP.

These mince pies are gluten free, grain free, dairy free, sugar free and nut free – perfect for all sorts of allergies and dietary requirements. So, there is absolutely no reason not to make, eat and enjoy them!

A couple of weeks ago we went to Vevolution festival to pitch UpCircle at the Pitch + Plant Dragons’ Den Competition.

We were delighted to walk away as the winners!

Naturewatch Foundation is a registered charity working to improve the lives of animals. We are proud to now be one of their endorsed cruelty free brands!

Read our guest blog!

We had a blast exhibiting at Fare Healthy!

With so many fantastic brands at the show, we thought we would run you through some of our faves!

Some of the most successful people in the world claim to thrive off 3 or 4 hours a night. Is this realistic or sustainable?

We discuss the issue of sleep in our blog post below!

Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

There is a romance about Paris and a je ne sais quoi that fills the air.

We take you through our favourite places to visit, both old and new!

It's no secret that an awful lot of us absolutely love drinking coffee. However, unfortunately the coffee industry isn’t as green as we’d like it to be.

Find out more about how we at UpCircle are trying to make a change!

Discover the inspirational story behind UpCircle, started by a sibling pair with no prior experience in the industry.

Read the interview as they talk about where the idea came from, how they've grown the business and their plans for the future!

Here at UpCircle we pride ourselves on using recognisable plant-based ingredients. We want our products and production processes to be transparent so that you can put your total trust in us.

So, continue reading to try your hand at making your own coffee scrub at home!