Get more, spend less
New app in Prince Edward Island offers local food at just one-third the regular price
There's a new app in P.E.I. where Islanders can get food from local businesses typically for just one-third of the regular price.
Too Good to Go is a free app that shows foods that are still good to eat but might otherwise go to waste at the end of the day, offering them at a discount.
While it is still in the market development phase in P.E.I., Islanders can already download the app and and try buying food from local businesses currently featured on the platform.
Only two businesses are now listed on the app, including Harvest Clean Eats in downtown Charlottetown. It's part of a franchise from Nova Scotia that serves healthy food options.
Baylee Hood, a partner and operations director at the Halifax-based restaurant chain, said when Too Good to Go reached out, the team at Harvest was very interested and thought it would be a great partnership between the two companies.
“I think just very much so that our visions align. We are very much committed to reducing our waste,” Hood told Saltwire in a recent interview.
“We really do our best to reduce our waste to begin with. But having Too Good To Go just gives us the extra added bonus that if we do have waste, such as like any muffins or croissants that have a shorter shelf life, we have the ability to give those on the Too Good To Go app to people that are looking to save food waste as well and save some money on their food.”
HIGH STANDARDS
Originating in Denmark in 2015, Too Good to Go has expanded across Europe and North America. In Canada, it is officially live in every province except P.E.I.
The app partners with local
businesses like restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops to offer customers "surprise bags" filled with high-quality leftovers from the day. People don't usually know what's in the bag until they pick it up.
Hood said Harvest Clean Eats started testing the app at its downtown Moncton location about two months ago and saw “lots of success.”
“We sold out of our bags every single day at that location since launching. And we actually increased our surprise bags daily to two bags per day,” she said, adding the company has recently expanded the initiative to all nine of its Atlantic Canada locations.
Each surprise bag at Harvest costs $3.99, but customers get $12 worth of food in each bag, said Hood. The contents vary and could include items like juices, muffins, croissants or leftover veggies.
“We still keep high standards with any food that's going out of our doors. So, it's still really delicious food that anyone could enjoy,” said Hood.
Surprise bags are available every day at all Harvest locations, but pick-up times vary. They are first-come, first-serve and tend to sell out quickly, she noted.
‘WORKED OUT REALLY WELL’
Knead a Brake, a bakery in New Annan, P.E.I., is also featured on Too Good To Go.
Owner Kirsten Marsh said after she heard about the app and got interested in its mission to cut down food waste, she decided to reach out to partner with Too Good To Go, making her bakery the first in Prince Edward Island to join.
“It's hard on the Island given it's so ‘tourists one season’ and then, you know, basically shut down the next. It'll also give an opportunity for businesses to actually run year-round and actually provide their services to locals as opposed to just tourists. And it also provides the companies the ability to not be afraid to make more of their food products, to then be able to sell more,” Marsh said.
At Knead a Brake, surprise bags go for $4.99, containing items that would usually cost around $15 in total at regular retail price. There are options for gluten-free and regular items, including things like muffins, brownies, croissants and bread.
On the first day, Marsh put out seven surprise bags and they all sold within an hour.
“It’s worked out really well,” she said. “It's just another way to sort of end the day with a guarantee that you've sold your stuff. And you can go to bed knowing you're not at a complete loss, which is a huge thing during winter.”
Sarah Soteroff, head of PR for Too Good To Go in North America, said the app will officially launch in P.E.I. in the coming months, with Tim Hortons locations in P.E.I. joining.
Businesses in P.E.I. interested in partnering with Too Good To Go can find more information on the company’s website and reach out, then the Too Good To Go team will get in touch.