French startup Bene Bono has now been operating for one month in Spain, during which time it has sold 7.5 tonnes of fruit and vegetables which would otherwise have been rejected and thrown away. This is precisely why the company exists: to sell imperfect-looking, organic fruit and vegetables.

The idea came up in 2020 when its founders, Grégoire Carlier, Sven Ripoche and Claire Laurent, realised how much food was being wasted because of the way it looks. In April this year, Bene Bono was created to help organic farmers and producers to sell produce rejected by traditional distribution channels directly to consumers.

Wasting 150 euros of food
The company explained to Invest in Spain that it started operating in Madrid on 8 February “because of the opportunities to help avoid food waste in the city, which is one of the main focal points of food waste”.

According to the report “Qualitative overview of food waste in Madrid”, published by the Economic, Business and Sustainability Research Group (E-Sost) at the Comillas Pontifical University for the NGO Enraíz Derechos, one in three foods produced in the world ends up in the bin. The average Madrid household throws away 31 kilos of food per annum, equating to 150 euros wasted per person per year.

Investment round
After raising seven million euros in its second round of funding, the startup is now operating in Spain. “The investment has allowed us to extend our activity and the project to a new country”, they said. The project has a local strategy, with an infrastructure in Madrid for preparing orders, its own web tools to perform the activity and a team to fulfil the development objectives.

The company’s philosophy is the same as that which inspired its foundation in France, “Bene Bono products are 100% Spanish and organic, and they make a significant contribution to reducing environmental impact. They also avoid food waste and help local producers to sell products that would otherwise be thrown away. This in turn reduces producers and consumers’ carbon footprint and optimises the water used for production.

Lower emissions
During its first two weeks in Spain, the company has handled 1,690 orders, with which it estimates it has avoided 2,340 kilos of carbon dioxide emissions. It already has a network of 42 farmers.

Sven Ripoche says he is “enormously grateful to all the users who have shown interest in our organic fruit and vegetable baskets, adding to the fight against waste. This adventure would not be possible without their support during our first official weeks in Madrid. We are sure we are going to revolutionise the market, offering consumers a quality product at the best price, and also caring for the environment and for our planet”.

^{Photo: Bene Bono}