Irish tech start-up FoodCloud expanding in the UK
Expansion of award-winning Irish social enterprise continues, with Waitrose becoming the latest retailer to join its ranks
Print19 January 2017
Award-winning Irish social enterprise, FoodCloud, is set to expand in the UK with the premium retailer Waitrose.
The move will see FoodCloud pilot with 25 Waitrose branches, and if successful, expand to all Waitrose stores throughout the UK.
The premium supermarket with over 5% market share and more than 350 stores, is the second retailer to partner with FoodCloud in the UK. Using an innovative software platform, FoodCloud connects stores directly with local charities and community groups in order to redistribute food where it is most needed.
Partnership with Tesco
First teaming up with Tesco Ireland in 2013, FoodCloud successfully expanded into the UK market in 2016 with Tesco through a partnership with UK food redistribution charity FareShare.
Since launching with Tesco in February 2016, in less than a year, FoodCloud has facilitated the redistribution of 5 million meals from Tesco stores across the UK. Over 3,300 community groups and charities have benefited from donations of good quality surplus food.
Tesco has ambitious targets to ensure no food that is safe for human consumption goes to waste inside its UK operations by the end of 2017. Over 1,000 UK Tesco stores are now using the FoodCloud platform.
FoodCloud’s world class technology has enabled it to rapidly scale. In 2016, it grew from 200 donating stores to over 1,200 across the UK and Ireland.
Ambitious targets
The social enterprise has ambitious growth targets for 2017, with work already underway to bring on a further 1,800 Tesco convenience stores in 2017.
FoodCloud CEO Iseult Ward, who was named this week as one of Forbes 30 under 30 European Class of 2017, said: “Continuing from our success with Irish retailer partners, including Tesco Ireland and Aldi, we are delighted that Tesco UK have redistributed over 5 million meals in less than a year. We are excited to also have the opportunity to work with Waitrose in 2017 and benefit more communities across the UK.”
Technology such as FoodCloud’s platform is a major tool in tackling food poverty. Recent reports reveal that 240,000 tonnes of food is wasted in the retail sector in the UK every year. At the same time, more than 8 million people in the UK experience food poverty.
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