Manufaktur U brings canned soups with an honest taste
Manufaktur U is the own brand from nur Gutes for artisanal canned soups: 10 varieties, cooked in a small, carefully selected workshop, completely without pre-mixed convenience products from wholesalers. So, not anonymous canned goods, but homemade-style recipes that read like a menu rather than an ingredient list.
Manufaktur U stands for 10 canned soups that Kerstin and Stephan Uhlenbusch have put together for nur Gutes, from the classic potato soup to the creamy game soup with venison meatballs. They are not cooked in-house by us, but in a small, EC-certified workshop that Kerstin and Stephan selected carefully because they still work with whole bones and plenty of time, rather than with ready-made mixtures from wholesalers.
Selected a workshop, didn't start our own
For Manufaktur U, Kerstin and Stephan Uhlenbusch did not set up their own kitchen, but rather searched for an existing, small workshop that already knew how to cook soup instead of manufacturing it.
"We wanted a workshop that still works with whole bones and plenty of time, not one that just reheats things," says Stephan Uhlenbusch about the selection. In the end, the two found a small, EC-certified workshop that still cooks its soups in small batches, with ingredients that are cleaned, cut, and weighed by hand instead of moving along an assembly line. Exactly this level of care was the condition for Kerstin and Stephan before they put their own name on someone else's soup.
Manufaktur U now has ten recipes in its range, each of which was refined in the workshop until Kerstin and Stephan were convinced themselves. There were several attempts between the first test can and the finished recipe until the seasoning and consistency were just right. Anyone who knows the story can taste this piece of care when opening every can, without it ever needing to be written on the label.
Even after the market launch, the contact with the workshop remains close: Kerstin and Stephan taste new batches before they go on sale and discuss changes to the recipe or seasoning directly with the workshop when ingredients or the seasons make an impact. For the two of them, a finished recipe is never completely finished; instead, it is readjusted slightly over the years.
Soup variety for every occasion
From the classic potato soup with bacon to the creamy soup with porcini mushrooms, the Manufaktur U range now includes 10 soups, each based on a slowly cooked bone broth and yet clearly distinguishable in taste.
The goulash soup and the oxtail soup are among the best-selling soups in the range, both robust and refined with plenty of red wine. The carrot-ginger soup is the only vegetarian soup in the series—creamy, sweet, with a fine ginger heat—while the other 9 soups are all based on beef bone broth. These are joined by classics such as pea soup with cured pork, festive beef soup, and Maultaschen (stuffed pasta) soup, each with its own clearly recognizable signature.
For special occasions, the tomato soup with basil meatballs and the creamy soup with porcini mushrooms are just as suitable as the festive beef soup—all three are festive enough for the Sunday table while still being heated from the can in 5 minutes. Those who try them all will quickly notice: none of the 10 soups tastes like the other, even though they all come from the same workshop.
In the shop, all 10 soups are listed under the same category of Soups & Broths, but the difference is apparent as soon as you open them: sometimes creamy and hearty like the goulash soup, sometimes finely puréed like the creamy porcini soup, sometimes with clearly visible ingredients like the Maultaschen soup or the tomato soup with basil meatballs.
Beef bone broth as the base for every soup
Every Manufaktur U soup begins with the same base: a slowly cooked beef bone broth that only develops its full depth after several hours, before the respective ingredients are added.
Potatoes, carrots, leeks, or tomatoes are cleaned, cut, and weighed by hand before they wander into the broth to cook through together. The workshop consciously avoids flavor enhancers because the long cooking time and the quality of the ingredients carry the flavor on their own.
Red wine, cream, or a dash of sherry further refine individual varieties, always tailored to the specific soup and never according to the same blueprint. Seasoning is only added toward the end of the cooking time so that the aromas remain fresh and are not boiled down for hours until very little of them is left.
"You can taste the difference between a soup that is truly cooked and one that is only heated up," Kerstin says about the 10 varieties. For Stephan Uhlenbusch, that was the condition for choosing the workshop from the very beginning: "We wanted one that still works with whole bones and plenty of time, not one that just reheats." You can taste this attitude in every one of the 10 cans, spoonful by spoonful.
Quickly from the can to the table
Each of the 10 soups is ready in a good 5 minutes: pour the contents of the can into the pot, heat while stirring, and serve. No mixing, no re-seasoning, no adjusting the consistency required.
The 400-gram or 400-milliliter cans last for up to 2 years unopened, completely without a refrigerator, and therefore fit in any pantry for the day when something warm needs to be on the table quickly. As a starter, they are enough for 2 people; as a small main course for 1 person, supplemented by some bread or a dollop of crème fraîche.
If you like, you can refine them with fresh herbs, even though the workshop hasn't prescribed it. Basil for the tomato soup, cranberries for the creamy game soup, a dollop of sour cream for the goulash soup: such small additions are never written on the can, but make the difference between a quick meal and a small moment of enjoyment every time.
This is what distinguishes Manufaktur U from supermarket goods on the shelf next door: no off-the-shelf soup, but 10 recipes that still taste like real ingredients, even if they come from a can. Production remains an EC-certified artisanal process, in small batches rather than in large series, without the need for preservatives.
Creamy game soup for the cold season
We are particularly fond of grabbing the creamy game soup with venison meatballs when it gets cold outside. With a dollop of cream and a few cranberries on top, it turns into a small festive starter in no time at all.
For everyday life, the pea soup with cured pork has proven to be a quick lunch for us, hearty and filling on a hectic day. Those who like it more refined will find a piece of Swabian home cooking in the Maultaschen soup that would otherwise take hours in your own kitchen. And if you want to entertain guests without much preparation, simply place two or three of the 10 varieties side by side on the table.
Just try your way through the 10 varieties of Manufaktur U, from the hearty goulash soup to the creamy carrot-ginger soup. For us, every can is a little promise: honestly cooked, even if none of us stood at the stove ourselves. Multiple cans together also make a great spontaneous gift if a small guest gift is needed at short notice and there is no time for anything more elaborate.
