Domestic application for buying unsold food with a big discount in operation from September

More than 50 different food sales locations in Zagreb have already joined the Crumbs.hr platform/application, developed in Croatia, with which excess or unsold fresh food can be purchased during the day at a 50 percent or lower price, reported the founders of application, which will start working in September.

“It is actually an application for selling and buying surplus food, the aim of which is to reduce its wastage and contribute to sustainability. As we saw that there is no such thing in Croatia, we decided to develop such a solution that we saw already works around the world,” engineer Antonio Matušan, the creator and founder of the Crumbs.hr platform and application, told the HINA news agency.

At the same time, it is the first domestic application of its kind, for which data on food waste in Croatia provided an additional incentive for its development, according to which more than 280,000 tons of food or 71 kilograms per inhabitant, is thrown away annually, and almost 40 percent of it is edible.

Users who install the application, the use of which is free for them, will be able to see from September who is selling food that was not sold during the day and where. For now among the sellers are individual and chain bakeries, smaller shops and neighborhood stores, fruit shops, but also restaurants, mostly those that do 'lunches' etc.

“That doesn't mean,” says Matušan, “that there can't be a la carte restaurants, there are those too, because if they think they've cooked too much of something, and they have leftovers, they can sell it on the platform, as well as food and some drinks ( e.g. soon to expire or similar) along with large retail chains, and they are still talking to some about it for now.” Flower shops are also planned, because, he says, “even fresh flowers are often thrown away.”

“The application works so that users on the platform can choose so-called surprise packages containing surplus food from that day and pick them up in person at the store or at the caterer. The content of the package is not completely known because the facilities do not know what food will be left at the end of the day, but users can check it during the day in the application, and what is important, be sure that what they are buying is within the expiration date and with discounts of at least 50, possibly up to 70 percent,” explains Matušan.

An example of a package from bakeries can be only salty or only sweet pastries, or from a store some other, various food that, according to the seller, will not be sold that day, etc.

It will be possible to pay exclusively through the application, and the goods, i.e. the food, can be picked up in person at the sales location by agreement, with the fact that the sellers, in addition to the reduced price, must also state the regular price of the particular package.

“More and more sellers are contacting us every day, and their number is already over 50. We believe that it is interesting for them because they don't have to throw away unsold food, but instead generate income and expand the customer base. The plan is to expand to other cities in Croatia, as well as offer delivery,” Matušan reveals.

When asked about the investment in starting such an application, he notes only that he has a partner in this, but also that, apart from money, the investment of will and time to connect everything to the platform is even more important, and it will be financed from a percentage of the commission paid by sellers.

Source: HRT/HINA