Podcast Summary
Tackling Food Waste Through Repurposing Unsold Food: Lucie Basch, founder of Too Good to Go, aims to address the pressing issue of food waste by repurposing unsold food from restaurants and stores, empowering individuals to fight against it.
Food waste is a pressing issue that needs our attention. Lucie Basch, the founder of Too Good to Go, realized the scale of the problem while working at Nestle. She noticed a focus on producing more and faster, without considering the health of consumers or the impact on the environment. It became clear to her that wasting food was not only morally wrong but also costlier. Shocked by the statistic that 40% of the food we produce is thrown away, she wanted to make everyone a waste warrior. Her idea was to repurpose unsold food from restaurants and stores, empowering individuals to fight food waste together. This highlights the importance of addressing food waste and finding innovative solutions to minimize it.
Reducing food waste through technology and collaboration.: By using apps like Good to Go, consumers can get discounted surprise bags of food, while stores can prevent food waste and foster a sense of community and shared responsibility.
By using an app like Good to Go, we can significantly reduce food waste on a large scale. The app connects local stores, such as bakeries and supermarkets, with consumers who can purchase surprise bags of food at a discounted price. Instead of throwing away perfectly good food at the end of the day, stores can sell it through the app, ensuring that it gets eaten rather than wasted. Consumers benefit from getting a bag of food for a fraction of the original price. This collaborative approach not only addresses food waste but also fosters a sense of community and shared responsibility. It's important to share ideas and collaborate with others to turn them into reality and make a meaningful impact.
The Power of Collaboration: Working Together for a Shared Goal: Collaboration is more effective than competition in achieving shared goals. Joining forces with like-minded individuals or organizations can lead to impactful solutions and convince others to support your concept, even without a fully developed product.
Collaboration can be more powerful than competition when it comes to pursuing a shared goal. Lucie Basch's decision to reach out to the founders of an app with a similar concept demonstrated the importance of working together rather than against each other. Attending a conference that emphasized collaboration further solidified this idea for Lucie. By joining forces with the app founders, they were able to combine their ideas and resources to create a more impactful solution. This highlights the potential benefits of seeking out partnerships and alliances, especially when individuals or organizations have similar goals or visions. By working together, they were able to leverage their passion and convince others to join their concept, even without a fully developed product.
Too Good To Go: Connecting Businesses and Customers to Reduce Food Waste: Lucie Basch's company, Too Good To Go, demonstrates the possibility of reducing food waste by connecting businesses with customers, creating a win-win situation for both.
Lucie Basch's company, Too Good To Go, is solving the problem of food waste by connecting cafes and restaurants with customers willing to buy leftover food at a reduced price. The concept is simple: customers pre-pay online, pick up a bag filled with leftover food at their chosen time, and the participating businesses benefit from reducing waste and gaining new customers. Despite initial skepticism from store owners, Lucie was able to change their mindsets and show them that there is a solution to food waste. While the logistics of developing the app were initially challenging, the company gradually improved and automated their system. Overall, Too Good To Go's success highlights the importance of finding innovative solutions to reduce food waste and create a win-win situation for businesses and consumers.
Overcoming Challenges and Growing a Successful Business: Resilience, adaptability, and effective communication are crucial to overcoming obstacles and achieving success in business.
Building a successful product is not always smooth sailing. Lucie Basch, the co-founder of a payment module app, faced significant challenges in the first two years. The app kept crashing, causing frustration among users and hindering its growth. Despite these setbacks, Lucie and her team persevered and continued to improve the app's functionality. Additionally, they decided to bootstrap the company, forgoing outside investments and relying on their own resources. To acquire more users, Lucie personally visited stores and businesses, convincing owners to join their platform. Over time, they learned to make the process more efficient by using flyers and making phone calls. By attracting well-known brands and showcasing their success, Lucie gained credibility for the app's concept. Although initially met with skepticism, she managed to convince businesses that using their app was as simple as throwing away unsold food. This story emphasizes the importance of resilience, adaptability, and effective communication in overcoming challenges and growing a successful business.
Too Good To Go: Solving Food Waste Through Surprises: By selling excess products at a discount, Too Good To Go prevents food waste, attracts new customers, and offers affordable, tasty food while addressing the issue of food waste.
Too Good To Go's solution benefits both businesses and consumers while tackling the issue of food waste. By selling surprise bags filled with excess products at a discounted price, businesses can prevent food waste, reach new customers, and make some money. Consumers, on the other hand, can enjoy tasty food at a fraction of the regular price while contributing to the fight against food waste. Too Good To Go's platform acts as a win-win for all parties involved, making it a sustainable and responsible way of doing business. The business model relies on a commission from sales, meaning it's free for businesses to be on the platform. Overall, this innovative solution addresses the alarming problem of food waste and offers a solution that makes a significant impact.
A Win-Win Solution for Consumers and Store Owners: Good to Go is an app that allows consumers to save money on meals while helping store owners reduce food waste and potentially make money.
Good to Go is a win-win solution for both consumers and store owners. As a consumer, you can download the app and save money on meals by paying $5 for $15 worth of food. As a store owner, you can register on the app for free and start saving food that would otherwise go to waste. Good to Go takes a fixed commission on each meal saved, leaving the majority of the payment with the store. This means that store owners can actually make money instead of throwing food away. The app not only reduces food waste but also introduces consumers to new stores and foods they may not have tried otherwise. Good to Go aims to work with all types of businesses, including cafes, restaurants, and even supermarkets, to maximize their impact in reducing food waste.
Rapid Expansion and Impactful Mission: Too Good To Go rapidly expanded across Europe and successfully launched in the US, saving millions of meals. Their mission to fight food waste continues to drive their ambition for further achievements.
Too Good To Go experienced rapid expansion by launching in multiple countries, initially focusing on Europe. They adopted a mindset of launching a new country every quarter or every second quarter. Their success in each country was measured by profitability, with a goal of becoming profitable between 16 and 24 months. This approach allowed them to quickly build credibility and spread awareness about their mission to fight food waste. Even during the global pandemic, they made a bold decision to launch in the US and were met with enthusiasm from store owners. Today, they are in 12,000 stores in the US and have already saved over 4 million meals. However, they recognize that there is still so much more they can achieve in their mission.
Aligning Purpose and Profit: The Success Story of TID Social Impact Business: Businesses can make a positive impact on society while also being financially successful by partnering with like-minded investors and prioritizing their mission alongside profitability.
Businesses can have a purpose and a mission for the world while still being financially successful. Lucie Basch and her team at TID, a social impact business, believe that businesses should aim to make a positive impact and make money at the same time. By partnering with venture capitalists who shared their values, they were able to build trust and receive support. These investors were not only interested in financial performance but also in the way the business operated and its impact on society. This approach allowed TID to effectively launch in multiple countries, save millions of meals, and reach millions of consumers. Being a for-profit business enabled them to be flexible, efficient, and scalable in maximizing their impact.
Addressing Food Waste and Ensuring Equality: Too Good To Go successfully tackles food waste by partnering with charities and food banks, prioritizing the redistribution of surplus food to those in need, and dispelling the notion that only the wealthy benefit from their service.
Businesses like Too Good To Go can effectively address the issue of food waste while also making a profit. This addresses the criticism that such businesses may only benefit the wealthy by enabling them to access surplus food. Instead, Too Good To Go works closely with charities and food banks to ensure that they receive priority in redistributing food to those in need. The platform then steps in to save any remaining food that charities are unable to collect or distribute. Additionally, it is important to note that many people using Too Good To Go rely on the service to feed themselves, dispelling the misconception that only the wealthy benefit. The ultimate goal is to build a global movement to fight food waste, saving meals from every store and location worldwide.
To Good To Go: Partnering with CO and Nestle to Reduce Food Waste: To Good To Go is making strides in reducing food waste by partnering with industry leaders, improving date labeling, and generating awareness about the importance of food care.
The innovative company, To Good To Go, has acquired CO, a company that helps grocery stores optimize shelf rotation to reduce food waste. They provide guidance on whether to discount products, donate them to charity, or sell them on the To Good To Go app. By partnering with industrial leaders like Nestle, they are working towards becoming the global food waste partners. They have also collaborated on improving date labeling and extending expiration dates. In the future, To Good To Go aims to make an even bigger impact by expanding their movement and generating awareness about food waste. They believe it's crucial for people to understand the importance of food and take steps to care for it, starting from a young age. Through their app and initiatives, they have already saved an impressive amount of food and aim to do even more.
