Romanian startup bonapp.eco: App lets users save up to 80 percent on food
Food waste remains one of the biggest issues of global nutrition. Every day, vast amounts of food end up in the trash despite being of high quality. Now a new Romanian startup seeks to combat this problem: bonapp.eco. Founded by business angel Grégoire Vigroux, former KPMG senior tech consultant Diego Roy de Lachaise and former Apple executive Zsolt Kadar, the company has now launched a mobile application that aims to connect consumers with retailers to sell food that is close to expiration date. Consumers can buy food at a discount of 40 percent to 80 percent.
Buying quality food while saving money
The application is available on iOS and Android. Users can buy food by card, via the app, through a network of 35 affiliated partners in Bucharest to date. This includes supermarkets, hypermarkets, restaurants, shops, bakeries, coffee shops and hotels. The startup plans an expansion to other cities in Romania for the first quarter of 2022. Also, there will be a roll-out across Eastern Europe starting in the second quarter. Bonapp.eco estimates the market potential for its application at five million users in Romania alone. The typical user profile is an urban dweller with a bank account. The app aims to enable them to buy quality food while saving money.
Romanian-founded Proptech startup Proportunity raised $150M to develop further on the UK market
“The world wastes 40 percent of its food supply, according to the WWF. Food waste alone accounts for ten percent of all global greenhouse gases. On top of exacerbating climate change, food waste also causes retailers significant losses. In Romania alone, about five million tons of food are thrown away every year – in a country where food is expensive. Romanian consumers devote almost 40 percent of their budget to food and beverages! Bonapp.eco is turning these environmental, economic and social challenges into a sustainable business opportunity to the benefit of everyone”, says Grégoire Vigroux.
Starbucks and PENNY among bonapp.eco-partners
Among the first partners to join bonapp.eco’s network in Bucharest are Accor, Cora, foodpanda, PENNY Romania, Starbucks and Up (formerly named Chèque-Déjeuner), with further partnerships due to be announced by the end of the year. “With sustainability playing an ever-increasing role and customers paying this aspect more and more attention, we embrace as many projects as possible in this field. Food rescue, which is now a worldwide issue, is a priority project. The bonapp.eco solution has been a very good opportunity for us. We are confident that our clients will quickly understand all the advantages beyond the discounts for them, their family and communities”, says Claudia Ivan, Sustainability Manager at PENNY Romania.
