OLIO, a revolutionary app, addresses global food waste while connecting communities. Founded by Tessa Clarke and Saasha Celestial-One, it encourages sharing surplus food rather than discarding it.
From local households to global chains, OLIO is redefining food sharing by bridging digital convenience with environmental responsibility.
Founded by Tessa Clarke and Saasha Celestial-One, OLIO emerged from a simple yet impactful need. Clarke, faced with excess food she could not take during a move, sought a digital solution to share it rather than waste it. Her search for such an app led to the creation of OLIO, which became a beacon for reducing food waste.
OLIO’s functionality is straightforward yet effective. Users list surplus food items, complete with photos, on the app. Nearby members receive alerts and can choose to collect the items. This ingenious system eliminates waste and forges connections, as half of the listed food is claimed within two hours.
The app boasts 650,000 users who have shared nearly a million food portions, equating to removing over two million miles worth of vehicle emissions. Such figures represent the significant environmental advantages OLIO offers. Moreover, the platform transforms strangers into a community, with friendships blossoming through shared resources and common goals.
OLIO has partnered with prominent restaurants and cafes, including Pret and Sainsburys, which donate unsold food. With 2,500 trained ‘food waste heroes’ volunteering to collect and distribute donations, OLIO stretches its outreach across 41 countries, driven by 20,000 volunteers promoting its vision on social media.
The ambitions of the founders are grand, aiming for one billion users within a decade. Clarke emphasizes the domestic food wastage issue, where over half occurs, with UK families discarding an average of £800 in consumables yearly. Their vision is reshaping food-sharing into a global norm.
Technology underpins OLIO, but its essence is human connection. Clarke highlights the innate joy of feeding others and the network of social bonds OLIO facilitates. By encouraging the sharing of resources, OLIO not only addresses food waste but fosters healthier, more connected communities.
While OLIO has surpassed initial expectations, the journey is far from over. It must expand further to tap into its full potential. With such a vast scope of work ahead, the team remains focused on overcoming the obstacles, ensuring OLIO becomes integral to sustainable living practices globally.
OLIO’s journey underscores the potential technology has in solving real-world problems. Its community-driven model and ambitious goals mark it as a pivotal player in sustainable living.
With continued growth, OLIO is set to transform food-sharing habits globally, making food waste a concern of the past.