Ludovic Libert, Co-founder of Happy Hours Market (*) shares how to overcome the challenges of scaling up a food waste avoidance startup.
Why did you start Happy Hours Market, and what do you do?
About 7 tons of food are wasted every minute in Belgium. At the same time almost one-third of the population is considered close to the poverty threshold. We offer the possibility to buy via our app unsold products at half price, and then donate any leftovers to affiliated charities.
Why do your clients shop with you?
Basically, for two reasons. First, they are interested in saving some money with their purchases (most of our items are at half the price of what the retail store charges typically for them). Second, they are conscious of the ecological impact that they avoid with their purchases.
What are your plans for this year?
We are trying to expand our operations to cover all of Brussels this year. In the future, we envisage deploying in other major cities in Belgium and abroad.
Which are your main challenges for this year?
We have to execute our growth strategy. This includes partnering with new stores, adding more users to our platform, and developing new tools and systems to cope with the increasing complexity of our logistics.
What are the most challenging areas for Happy Hours Market’s growth and for the waste avoidance industry?
They are multiple and concern:
- the management of the logistics of this business,
- the scaling up of our management systems,
- offering new services to our stakeholders and
- incorporating block-chain based solutions to ensure the trace-ability (from reception to end of life) of any food and perishables that are marketed through our platform.
(*) I am an investor in Happy Hours Market
About 7 tons of food are wasted every minute in Belgium
Ludovic Libert, Co-Founder Happy Hours Market