With a heart for food: valuable delicacies made from rescued resources

Martin Jezy11 October 20249 min
Company profile
[Translate to US:] Unverschwendet Logo
Company profile
Unverschwendet
FOOD

Unverschwendet is a Viennese company that has specialized in rescuing surplus food since 2015. Unverschwendet produces high-quality gourmet products from unused fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be thrown away, actively combating food waste.

With a dedicated team and in collaboration with regional partners, the company already processes hundreds of thousands of kilos of food into sustainable products.

Unverschwendet is a Viennese company that has specialized in rescuing surplus food since 2015. Unverschwendet produces high-quality gourmet products from unused fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be thrown away, actively combating food waste.

With a dedicated team and in collaboration with regional partners, the company already processes hundreds of thousands of kilos of food into sustainable products.

Key data
  • Founded in 2015, 20 employees
  • Located directly on Vienna's Schwendermarkt
  • Website: unverschwendet.at
The partnership with Quivo
  • Smooth online store integration
  • Full transparency thanks to LOT tracking
  • Scalable logistics including B2B pallet transport

From a small market stall to a big mission

In the heart of Vienna, in the 15th district to be precise, Unverschwendet began in 2015 on Vienna's Schwendermarkt with a clear mission: to save food from going to waste. What began as a small project by Cornelia and Andreas Diesenreiter has now developed into a real movement. Today, the team consists of 20 passionate people who work every day to save surplus food from going to waste and give it a second chance as high-quality food products.

’760,000,000 kilos of food are wasted in Austria every year, according to a recent study by the Ecology Institute & WWF. 30% of this ends up in the bin in agriculture and production alone,’ explains Louise, Team Lead Operations. These figures motivate Unverschwendet every day to save even more food and offer a sustainable solution to this waste.

Food rescue as a recipe for success

The start of Unverschwendet was time-consuming. ‘We did everything ourselves - from harvesting and transporting to preserving in the middle of the night.’ remembers Louise. But the company grew quickly and 5,000 jars of food were filled in the first year.

Today, Unverschwendet saves tonnes of food, is an established brand and has had a successful partnership with the HOFER supermarket chain for two years. Products made from rescued food are sold here under the ‘RETTENSWERT’ label. Special products created from this rescued food have been developed for people living in poverty in collaboration with Tafel Austria.

However, with growth came the realisation that the logistics were becoming a challenge that they could not overcome alone.

A partner on equal terms

‘Our expertise lies in saving and processing food, but we needed professionals for the logistics,’ explains Louise. When the orders in the webshop exploded and major collaborations, such as the one with HOFER, were launched, the decision was clear: fulfilment had to be outsourced!

The choice fell on Quivo, which was still known as LOGSTA at the time. ‘Like us, Quivo was a young and dynamic company, and we immediately felt understood,’ says Louise. Traceability played a particularly important role: ‘With Quivo's logistics software, we could always see exactly which batches were packed in which parcels. The interface to our webshop system also worked smoothly, so we only had to worry about stock coordination.’

[Translate to US:] Louise Erba — Unverschwendet
Louise Team-Lead Operations

 

‘Quivo has been reliably handling the shipping of our online shop since 2019. Together, we ensure that our products reach our customers safely and on time. In this way, our delicacies made from rescued food brings pleasure to many people.’

Logistics as a game changer

By working with Quivo, Unverschwendet has been able to focus entirely on food rescue. ‘Our customers can rest assured that their orders will arrive safely and quickly,’ says Louise. Quivo's professional handling has enabled Unverschwendet to simplify the dispatch of B2B pallets and webshop shipping.

She finds the continuous development of Quivo particularly impressive. ‘Today, the Connector (Quivo's logistics management software) offers many more functions than when we started. The team is constantly working on improvements, which helps us to become more efficient,’ reports Louise.

New ways to rescue food

By taking the pressure off logistics, Unverschwendet was able to develop new, creative products. ‘Since 2023, we have not only been saving food straight from the field, but also by-products from production processes,’ says Louise proudly.

A prime example of this is ‘Kein Gin’ — which means ‘No Gin’ — an innovative drink made from the leftovers of Mannerschnitten production (the famous Viennese chocolate waffels). These baking pearls are distilled into base alcohol and then refined with botanicals to create a dry gin. As the dough does not come directly from the farm, the product cannot officially be sold as gin - which is why it is humorously called ‘Kein Gin’.

The range: sustainability in a jar

What makes Unverschwendet particularly proud is basically their entire range: Delicacies made from rescued food, lovingly processed and filled into jars and bottles. ‘Every jar represents food that has been given a second chance,’ says Louise. The extensive range of spreads, chutneys and drinks shows how surplus food can be turned into something valuable.

‘As we receive reports of surplus food almost every day, there is still so much potential here. There are many, many tonnes of valuable food that need to be saved. As a socio-economic company, we also work closely with social organisations to create an interface between food surpluses and need.’

A partnership that creates the future

‘Thanks to the collaboration with Quivo, we have taken our logistics to the next level,’ says Louise. ‘It was the right move for us to outsource logistics in order to focus on what we do best: Saving food and turning it into something great.’

Together, Unverschwendet and Quivo have shown that it is possible to achieve sustainable growth while doing great things for the environment. With Quivo's reliable logistics at their side, Unverschwendet can ensure that every rescued food item finds its way safely and efficiently to customers - making an important contribution to the fight against food waste.

Sources

Pictures:
Unverschwendet ©
Quivo — 2024

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