2024-06-03 07:25:28
Mette Lykke is the managing director of “Too Good To Go”.Picture: zvg
Interview
Mette Lykke leads the fast-growing Danish firm, which is devoted to the combat in opposition to meals waste. In an interview, she explains which of them are the favorites of the remaining Swiss prospects – and the way she needs to increase the enterprise.
03.06.2024, 09:2503.06.2024, 09:40
Benjamin Weinmann and Pascal Michel / ch media
Whether or not it is sandwiches, apples or yoghurt: every single day, meals leads to Swiss bins which are nonetheless edible or have exceeded their shelf life. Meals waste is big. In line with the affiliation Foodwaste.ch, a 3rd of meals is misplaced all through all the meals chain, from agriculture to processing to retail to the non-public fridge at dwelling.
The Danish firm Too Good To Go, based in 2015, has declared battle on meals waste. The idea: On an app, customers can see which shops of their space are promoting deeply discounted leftovers. These, often packed in a bag, could be picked up at a sure time – often shortly earlier than the shop closes – so long as you’ve paid for the gadgets upfront on the app. Nevertheless, the contents of the bag are nonetheless stunning.
As of 2018, 42-year-old Mette Lykke heads the corporate, which is current in 17 nations in Europe and the USA, and has 95 million registered members and 160,000 taking part associate firms. In an unique interview, Lykke talks about his technique.
What are the remaining belongings you purchased final time?
Mette Lykke: Final week I purchased a bag stuffed with baked items from an area natural bakery right here in Copenhagen. I additionally usually store within the grocery store utilizing our app and there’s a bag stuffed with fruit and greens.
And did you eat all of the baked items or did some find yourself within the trash?
I ate every little thing. And if I do not need to eat every little thing, you may simply retailer baked items within the freezer.
This can be doable with baked items. However your prospects do not know what’s within the bundle. This can be a drawback of the “Too Good To Go” idea.
Meals waste can’t be exactly predicted. As a enterprise proprietor, you by no means know what will probably be left at six within the night, whether or not it will likely be a salmon sandwich or a portion of pasta. Subsequently, it requires a sure flexibility when placing the packages collectively.
However the query stays: Would not meals waste transfer one step additional together with your app?
In fact, we’ve got already requested ourselves this query so we’ve got commissioned a college to investigate it. The research concluded that lower than 10 % of the contents of the Too Good To Go bundle is wasted.
Nevertheless, your prospects are unlikely to be involved with sustainable objectives, however merely with discovering a market.
It is undoubtedly a combination. For many individuals, sustainability is the motivation. As a result of there isn’t any level in throwing away recent meals. And naturally, some have good style. We’ve seen this just lately, particularly with excessive inflation.
Does that imply you profit from inflation?
Demand for our packages has actually elevated with inflation. On common, the content material in our baggage is about 70 % cheaper than within the unique retailer.
How is Switzerland completely different from different markets the place you might be current?
What stands out, in fact, are the excessive costs. Meals is kind of costly in Switzerland, dearer than our different markets. Nevertheless, we don’t see any main variations in client conduct.
Ein Blick in die «To Good To Go» -AppImage: www.imago-images.de
“Too Good To Go” is increasing into america – because of donuts as effectively.Image: www.imago-images.de
How a lot do you cost if the promoting value is, for instance, 10 francs?
We can’t reveal that. However we solely earn one thing if the packs are literally offered.
The truth is that you simply need to make a revenue by promoting leftovers. You may additionally give the leftovers to charities, which might distribute leftover meals to individuals in want.
Most of our companions have two or three menus left on the finish of the day. From a purely logistical viewpoint, it will make no sense to drive throughout Switzerland and decide up leftovers from 7,500 shops. That is why charity will not be an choice for many of our companions as a result of their quantities are too small.
Issues could also be completely different for supermarkets.
Many supermarkets we work with promote merchandise that aren’t eligible for charitable donations. For instance, you promote scorching dishes on the counter in open gross sales. It might be tough to keep up meals security throughout transportation.
What precisely is your tackle fixing the meals waste drawback?
Each second, 80,000 kilograms of completely good meals is thrown into the trash. We save 4 kilograms per second. 4 out of 80,000 kilograms! So plenty of meals remains to be wasted. Our meals system is extraordinarily inefficient. That is why different options are wanted, not simply ours.
Supermarkets and meals producers level the finger at customers in relation to meals waste. The place do you assume the trade’s accountability lies?
Everybody wants to enhance, from producers to retailers to restaurateurs. The United Nations purpose is to halve meals waste by 2030. Many firms have adopted this purpose. Predicting anticipated gross sales remains to be an enormous problem. Synthetic intelligence can actually assist right here, nevertheless it will not have the ability to inform an area Swiss bakery how a lot it’s going to promote on a wet Tuesday.
The place is your app used most frequently, in supermarkets, eating places or small retailers?
It’s just about divided into thirds every.
And who’re the most well-liked left sellers in Switzerland?
The meals packages which are significantly well-liked are the meals baggage from supermarkets, particularly delicatessen from Manor and Globus, but additionally these from bakeries and sushi. Our companions in Switzerland embrace well-known chains equivalent to Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Coop, Migros, Alnatura, and just lately Denner, but additionally motels equivalent to Marriott and eating places equivalent to Hitl and Tibits.
And what number of members have you ever received in Switzerland within the final two years?
We’ve 2 million customers of the app in Switzerland. Two years in the past there have been 1.5 million. The variety of companions has elevated from 6,200 to 7,500. These are fairly good values in comparison with the entire inhabitants. However in fact we would like extra.
The place do you continue to see progress potential in Switzerland?
A couple of months in the past we launched a brand new platform particularly for retailers to allow them to higher test which recent merchandise are about to run out. We need to provide this in Switzerland as effectively. With AI, one of the best low cost can be really helpful for you.
And do you continue to see alternatives for progress internationally?
France, Nice Britain and Germany are at the moment our most vital markets. Sooner or later, simply due to its dimension, it’s going to in all probability be USA.
However there aren’t as many bakeries as in Europe…
… no, there are numerous donut retailers! (Laughs.) We will probably be launching in Australia this 12 months as effectively.
Have you ever already thought-about that personal prospects might additionally provide their leftovers on the app?
We have already thought of that, however that is not our focus proper now.
Tricks to fight meals waste (supply: WWF):
Plan purchasing: plan the menu and create a purchasing checklist.
Purchase recent: It’s higher to purchase recent produce extra usually and particularly. That is higher than large weekly purchases that may’t be used then.
Rely by yourself senses: First check whether or not expired merchandise are nonetheless edible. Most edible merchandise are previous their printed finest earlier than date.
Use meals waste providers: With apps like “Too Good to Go” meals could be saved and loved without cost.
Get rid of waste correctly: Don’t eliminate meals waste in waste water. Extraction within the sewage remedy plant requires further vitality.
What about ease of use? At this time it’s a must to decide up the meals bundle at a sure time, inside a 15 or 30 minute window. That’s not splendid.
We’re all the time in discussions with companions to see if they will prolong the gathering window. However many retailers are understaffed and must generate as a lot margin as doable with common gross sales. Ultimately, the invoice has to work out for them.
And what about supply service?
Supply service prices rather a lot, which is why we’re not utilizing it for the time being.
Individuals who do not have a smartphone are additionally excluded. Will it keep that manner?
Sure. We had a web site for some time nevertheless it wasn’t doing effectively. The app is the premise of our enterprise mannequin.
And when will this enterprise mannequin deliver revenue?
I can say this a lot: our gross sales grew by 42 % final 12 months. And shortly the enterprise will not be making losses.
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