French startup Bene Bono lands in Madrid to fight food waste

This article was originally published by Bianca Damiano on Novobrief, an Espacio partner publication.

Data from the Report on Food Waste in Spain, prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, show that each Spanish person threw away an average of 28.21 kilos of food in 2021. And although in the period between April and September 2022, this has fallen by 5% compared to the same period the previous year, there is still a long way to go.

In 2023, Spain is preparing to introduce the draft law on the prevention of food losses and food waste, which was presented last year. With this, it hopes for a change, not only of collective awareness but also of setting clear objectives and designing a common framework that would allow the economic, environmental, and social impacts to be quantified.

Spanish startups such as Encantado de Comerte and Too Good to Go have actively participated in the blueprint and are companies continuously helping reduce food waste.

After its success in France, Bene Bono, the startup that saves organic and imperfect fruit and vegetables, is coming to Spain to fight food waste. 

After raising €7 million in its second round of funding, backed by Stride VC, Project A, and Kima Ventures, the company will focus its efforts on starting operations in Madrid and expanding to other regions of Spain.

Stop bullying vegetables

Bene Bono, which sells 100% organic produce grown in Spain, helps farmers in Madrid to sell fruit and vegetables rejected by traditional distribution channels, mainly for aesthetic reasons, by making them available to consumers 30% cheaper than in organic shops and supermarkets.

Its aim is to save 3 tonnes of fruit and vegetables a week in its first month of activity in the capital. It already has more than 20 local producers in its network of collaborators and more than 16,000 people interested in its products during the pre-launch phase.

“Spain faces many challenges regarding food waste as the figures show. It is a fact that Spanish shoppers’ demands are increasingly related to sustainability, but the consumer also demands good products at a good price. At Bene Bono, we are able to offer this, while also helping to avoid food waste and prevent losses for farmers,” explains Sven Ripoche, co-founder of Bene Bono.

“Bene Bono benefits consumers, local producers, and, of course, the environment. With our arrival in Madrid, we want to take this new step in the company’s history: to offer quality, affordable and accessible products to the greatest possible number of people in Madrid, to commit ourselves even more to the Planet and society, working directly with producers to offer consumers a new way of buying and consuming fruit and vegetables”, adds the co-founder.