Montreal-based app FoodHero, with a goal of reducing food waste, has partnered with Empire Company Limited to significantly expand its reach into new regions of the country including Ontario, Atlantic Canada and Western Canada.
Jonathan Defoy, CEO of FoodHero, originally got the idea for the concept in 2016. The first store it partnered with was an IGA in Montreal in May 2019.
“The vision originally, the mission, it’s always been about saving food, so reducing food waste,” he said. “When I got the idea originally, it struck me as I was watching a documentary on food waste, and I saw those horrific, numbers about how much food is wasted. And so I had been a tech entrepreneur for almost a quarter of a century already. At the time I, like, literally, all the strings kind of got magically attached together in my head.
“And I was like, okay, that’s what I want to do next. So it came to me very clearly that what I was able to build and what I wanted to build would be a B to B to C marketplace, where on one end we would have the supply from those grocery stores, maybe eventually, restaurants, farms. Pretty much everywhere where food is wasted, and would build a platform, as they say in tech lingo, mobile first and mobile only, and that was my original vision.
“So it was clear to me that I wanted a mobile app, just for the convenience, but also to be able for the consumer to localize, identify the stores around him or her that are currently offering food. So on one end you have the supply. On the other end you have the consumers, even small businesses sometimes that are looking for discounts, important discounts on food, and we’re the platform in between. So basically, from a retailer perspective, we’re providing a very complete technology solution that’s comprised of, obviously, connecting their back end to our solution so that we’re able to access in real time the inventory that they could be losing, and all the tools that they need to operate the solution. And on the consumer end, a simple mobile application where you basically, you shop on the app, you buy on the app, and you go pick up your order at the store, or stores where you decided to shop.”
Through this national expansion, Canadians will gain access to deep discounts on surplus food at over 500 participating stores across Ontario, Atlantic Canada and Western Canada. The user-friendly FoodHero app connects consumers to local participating stores offering 50 per cent discounts in English Canada and up to 60 per cent in Quebec on select items. Since its launch in Quebec in 2019, the app has seen substantial growth, with over one million downloads and 100,000 active customers shopping at approximately 500 participating retailers in Quebec.
“Cost of living alongside the escalating issue of food waste are top of mind for Canadians,” said Defoy. “FoodHero connects customers with local grocery stores offering significant markdowns on products to prevent them from ending up in landfills. Our partnership with Empire Company Limited allows us to further our mission of combating food waste while offering Canadians enhanced value on their groceries.”
Items available on the FoodHero app range from bakery, meat and prepared food to dry goods. With a consistent selection of items, customers can easily select from the available products and schedule a pickup time. The app also tracks the weight of products saved from landfills and estimates the associated reduction in CO2 emissions.
“As a company committed to sustainability, we’re excited to be partnering with FoodHero, a Canadian success story fighting against food waste. This partnership supports our commitment to reducing food waste, ensuring more food reaches family tables instead of landfills,” said Kristi Lalach, SVP Legal and Sustainability, Empire Company Limited.
Defoy said the concept is now coast to coast in every province.
“This was supposed to happen in 2020, 2021, in the original agreements that we signed, but because of the pandemic, it really derailed our plans, but it’s okay. We never gave up, and we’re extremely happy to be able to bring that to all Canadians now, because it’s been very, very popular in Quebec, and we’ve, over the years, we’d have fellow Canadian citizens that were like, when is it going to be available?
“So we’re almost at 1,100 stores now . . . We would love to (expand), but for now, we’re obviously really, really focused on making sure that we are going to be as successful as possible with this launch . . . More, more to come, for sure, we’re open for business. But it’s a huge piece of cake that we’re starting to eat today because, you know, it’s six different chains. It took us one full year of very hard work to be there today. So the fun starts now.”
Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire’s key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc., and related real estate. With approximately $30.7 billion in annualized sales and $16.8 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 128,000 people.
