Preshfood: Reducing Food Waste and Promoting Sustainable Consumption
In this interview, we speak with Rati Danelia, Co-founder and CEO of Preshfood, an app designed to combat the issue of food waste by making surplus food from bakeries, cafes, and stores available to consumers at a fraction of the original price.
Danelia shares the inspiration behind Preshfood, the process of purchasing a basket of surplus food, and the measures taken to ensure the quality and safety of the food offered on the app. Additionally, Danelia discusses plans for scaling and expanding Preshfood to other cities and regions, the app's potential to influence broader conversations around sustainability and responsible consumption, and the long-term goals for the app's continued growth and evolution. Join us as we delve into the innovative solutions offered by Preshfood and the positive impact it can have on our communities and the planet.
Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind Preshfood and how the idea came about?
About a year ago, we uncovered a startling truth that ⅓ of all food is wasted globally and Georgia was no exception. Whether it's due to manufacturing, transportation, or simply not being consumed in time, food waste is a major issue in our society. It's heartbreaking to think about how much delicious food is thrown away at the end of each day from our favorite cafes, bakeries, and shops just because it has not sold in time.
The problem with wasted food goes beyond just the moral and commercial implications. As it decomposes, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas that's 25 times more harmful to our planet than carbon dioxide. And let's not forget about the resources that go into making each dish - energy, water, and labor - all wasted when the food goes unused.
At Preshfood, we envision a future where we don't have to throw away so much perfectly good food, whether it's a loaf of bread, fresh vegetables, or a decadent cake. That's why we've developed an app that makes this delicious food available to consumers for half or a third of the original price. By making precious food accessible to more people, we're on a mission to reducing food waste and promote sustainable living, one delicious meal at a time!
How does Preshfood work exactly? Can you walk us through the process of purchasing a basket of surplus food?
Preshfood offers users the opportunity to not only enjoy high-quality food at a fraction of the cost, but also contribute to a more sustainable future. Since stores don't know exactly what will be left in excess, food is sold in precious bags, providing an exciting and unique experience for customers.
The process of using our app is quite simple. First, users can either use the dashboard or map functionality to locate nearby bakeries, cafes, or stores. Once they find a suitable location, they can select the quantity of food bags they want and make a reservation. At the store's designated pick-up time, users can then collect their meal and take it home to enjoy.
Each bag of food saved from our app on average prevents wasting 2.5 kg of carbon dioxide from food production. To put that into perspective, by saving just one bag per day for a week, users can prevent the same amount of damage to the planet as charging a smartphone 2000 times. We believe that every bag saved is a step closer to a more sustainable future, and we are thrilled to offer this opportunity to our users.
What measures do you take to ensure the quality and safety of the food offered on the app?
At Preshfood, we believe that food is precious and deserves to be enjoyed to its fullest potential and whilst we cannot take legal responsibility for the quality of the food sold through our app, we work closely with our partner stores to ensure that it is safe and of good quality. We also rely on our customers to provide us with feedback on their purchases so that we can closely monitor the quality of the food sold on our platform. By working together, we can reduce food waste and help ensure that everyone can enjoy delicious, high-quality food every day!
It's worth noting that much of the food that is thrown away is not actually reaching it’s expiry date, but may have lost its initial freshness. We've all enjoyed a slice of day-old bread that tasted delicious. This is a great example of how food can still be perfectly edible and tasty even beyond its "best before" or "use by" dates commonly used in Europe. By making the most out of the food we have, we can help minimize waste, save money, and continue to relish all the mouth-watering meals we love!
How do you plan to scale and expand Preshfood to other cities or regions in the future?
We believe that starting small and focusing on quality is the key to success. We are currently starting to operate in Tbilisi, and our priority is to provide the best possible service to our customers here. However, of course we have plans to expand our service to other major cities in the future.
To scale and expand Preshfood, we plan to establish partnerships with more food stores and increase our network. We will also be utilizing data analytics and customer feedback to improve our service and provide the best possible experience to our users.
Additionally, we will be leveraging social media and other digital platforms to increase awareness about our service and reach a wider audience. We are committed to making a positive impact on our communities, and we are excited to bring our mission to more cities and regions as we grow.
In what ways do you see Preshfood influencing broader conversations around sustainability and responsible consumption?
At Preshfood, we see ourselves as more than just a food-saving app. Our mission is to raise awareness about food waste and its impact on the planet, and to encourage responsible consumption. While we focus on food that is thrown away at bakeries, cake shops, and food stores, we believe that all food waste should be addressed.
We believe that social media is a powerful tool to spread our message and encourage people to join us in our mission. As a community-led startup, we will be thrilled to see our users share their own tips and tricks for reducing food waste as we all need to become more aware about what little steps we can take in our daily lives to address this problem. We are also exploring partnerships with green non-profits to leverage their expertise and collaborate on projects that promote sustainable food practices. Ultimately, we see Preshfood as a catalyst for broader conversations around sustainability and responsible consumption, and we hope to inspire others to join us in our mission to reduce food waste.
In what ways do you see Preshfood evolving and improving over time, and what are some of your goals for the app in the long-term?
Our long-term goal is to continue to grow and evolve across the country. As part of this objective, we plan to expand our reach and incorporate as many food locations as possible, recognizing that food waste occurs at majority of stores, bakeries, and cake shops. Additionally, we are committed to gathering feedback from our users and will use this information to continually improve the app. We believe that by incorporating the needs and preferences of our users into our development process, we can create a truly impactful tool for reducing food waste and promoting sustainable consumption.