On October 5, Chipotle dropped “From Ground to Sound”, a track performed entirely on instruments made from fresh vegetables, which was recorded inside one of the world’s most famous studios. The fast food chain used flutes carved from corn, jalapeño trumpets, a pepper horn and an avocado pit, lettuce percussion and an onion bass for the recording. The song was laid down inside Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios with the London Vegetable Orchestra, a five-member group of classically trained musicians who specialize in building and playing instruments from vegetables.
The Instruments Behind the Song
Three months of trial and error went into building these instruments, with dozens of attempts along the way. The band members had to figure out which notes, tones, and textures they could get from ingredients such as corn, jalapeños, and bell peppers. The ensemble features flutes made from corn, trumpets built with jalapeños, a horn fashioned from peppers and an avocado pit, lettuce percussion, and an onion bass.
Because the shape, texture, and moisture of the vegetables kept shifting, they posed their own difficulties. The instruments needed to be built and performed with the produce still at its peak ripeness, which meant they were only usable for less than a day. This gave the musicians a narrow window to put together, tune, practice and record with each instrument before its sound began to change.
“No two vegetables ever behave exactly the same way,” London Vegetable Orchestra musician Patrick Johns said. “You can carve two identical instruments, but they can respond very differently. Part of the craft is learning not to force an ingredient to sound a certain way but to find the sound that’s already there and build the music around it.”
Recording at Abbey Road
Inside Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios, the recording took place. The performers were the London Vegetable Orchestra, a five-person ensemble of classically trained musicians who craft and play instruments fashioned from vegetables. That same track had appeared earlier, at the close of Chipotle’s 100 Creators campaign in August.
The musicians were forced to move fast. Since the vegetables altered their form, feel, and wetness from hour to hour, each instrument could only be used for a few hours after it was put together. So tuning, practicing, and recording all had to take place inside a tight time frame before the sound began to change.
The Creative Team Behind the Track
Beacon Street Studios made the original piece, under creative guidance from the agency KIDS. Chipotle states the song will keep serving as a signature sound across select future campaigns, and the complete track can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.
“Real food has always been at the center of Chipotle. We use only 53 real ingredients, with fresh preparation happening every day in our restaurants. So we took this principle in a completely new direction: creating our own signature sound,” Chipotle Chief Brand Officer Fernando Machado said.
“Any brand can release a song or develop a sound mnemonic. What made this worth pursuing was the chance to create a track that felt impossible to separate from Chipotle itself. The instruments, the sound, and the story are all rooted in what we do every day.”
The Campaign That Got the Ball Rolling
The song was first teased as part of Chipotle’s 100 Creators campaign in August. That campaign also introduced the chain’s first new chip flavor with Chili Lime Chips alongside the return of Pollo Asado.
| Instrument | Material |
|---|---|
| Flute | Corn |
| Trumpet | Jalapeños |
| Horn | Peppers and avocado pit |
| Percussion | Lettuce |
| Bass | Onion |
Why Chipotle Chose This Path
The restaurant chain has built its campaign around an actual expansion of its established marketing message. It claims to serve food made from only 53 real ingredients, which are prepared fresh daily in its restaurants. Turning those same ingredients into playable instruments follows naturally from that concept.
The song gives the brand its own sound. Chipotle chose to record a full original piece in a studio whose pedigree few other chains can claim.
The Practical Limits of Vegetable Instruments
The shelf life of the ingredients placed the most severe limit on the project. The vegetables altered their shape, texture, and moisture content within hours, which limited how long each instrument remained usable after assembly. As a result, tuning, rehearsing, and recording all had to take place within a narrow window before the sound began to drift.
The musicians had to adapt to what the vegetables provided rather than trying to force them into set forms. This approach gives the track a sound that reflects its raw materials from start to finish.
A Track Built on Constraints
The song serves as a reminder that the most inventive ideas frequently emerge from limitations. Chipotle might have hired a composer to produce a conventional jingle and recorded it in a typical studio. Instead, the company opted for a course that demanded months of testing, dozens of trial versions and a performance period measured in hours.
What results is a track that sounds precisely like what it is: a composition built from food. That honesty is the entire goal. Plenty of brands put out songs or craft sonic identifiers. Chipotle opted to create one that feels impossible to distinguish from the chain itself.
What Comes Next
Chipotle says “From Ground to Sound” will continue to be used as a signature sound across select future campaigns. The full track is also available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
The project demonstrates what happens when a brand takes its own principles literally. Chipotle’s 53 real ingredients are the foundation of everything it sells. This track extends that logic into a realm where few other companies have dared to go.
Source material: “Chipotle made a song using nothing but instruments carved from its ingredients,” Dexerto.
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