Sometimes you’ve just got to do more organically than Western society would want you to. No, I don’t mean nutritionally. I mean spontaneously, without bureaucracy and licensing and legal prep. Organic has so many meanings…and this is the abridged story of Kirsten Hoppe, who organically sells organic soup. Illegally. In San Francisco. (Yes, some things actually are illegal there.)
Who knew that selling soup was illegal? Technically, it is, if you don’t have the FDA licenses and permits to do so. Kristen Hoppe is one of the main San Francisco soup criminals around today. She distributes it on a cart her husband built for her, part of the network of what is known as The Magic Curry Cart, a sort of black market soup operation. With new carts sprouting up weekly, this could become a serious underground business.
Hoppe sells organic winter squash, apple, ginger, and coconut soup. She tucks her cash in her bra in case the police come to shut down her operation at any given time. Why is it so popular? For one, if you don’t have to spend money on acquiring food licenses, you don’t have to raise your costs. So yes, unlicensed food is a lot cheaper. You’ve just got to trust the sellers that their soup isn’t E. Coli infested or anything.
Hoppe’s husband, the creator of her cart, says it this way, “There are rules to this game. Don’t block the street, and get your money out of sight.”
For Hoppe, though, it’s not about the money. She’s a certified nutritionist, named one of the top 5 in the Bay Area. She has no need for extra cash at the moment. She’s just doing it because she likes to. For her it’s more about providing something to the community. That something is organic food and nutrition.
Related posts
Feel free to subscribe to my rss feeds
