Helen
Connecting businesses and individuals to minimize food waste - there's an app for that. We're speaking to Kaoutar Makrache the CEO of WIN Sustainably who wants you to bag foodie bargain for the good of the planet. It's a brand new company, soft launch. And my goodness, I'm really glad we're we're among the first to hear about it. How are you?
Kaoutar
Great, thank you.
Helen
Tell us a little bit about your background. Have you always worked in sustainability? And I guess, what problem are you looking to solve with your app and company?
Kaoutar
So my background is in HR and Payroll, I am a compliance director, nothing related to sustainability. But since I moved to Dubai, I always had like a soft spot for food loss. It was a problem that pushed me to look for solutions. So that's how I dived into the impact of food waste on climate change.
Helen
Do we have any data on it? Do we know how much food is wasted? Annually, across the planet? Tons? What? What numbers are we talking about? And looking back at your face, they're gonna be scary.
Kaoutar
Yeah, it's significant. We talk about billions of food globally. When we deep dive into UAE, it represents on a yearly basis 3.8 million tons. That includes food industry, as well as households, the supply chain. It's really the whole ecosystem.
Helen
Because there are all different stages where there can be food waste from: the farms to storage, to shops, to us as individuals planning or not planning. So which area of that chain are you addressing with WIN Sustainably?
Kaoutar
Well, we actually are addressing it on all fronts. I didn't want to come with a solution that was one sided, because the impact would be not significant enough for me. So we offer B2B solution and B2C. So we work from supply chain to consumer.
Helen
How?
Kaoutar
Through technology, we actually blend technology with green thinking on the application that is named Qa'lil. And Qa'lil means in Arabic “reduce less”. We actually connect every type of business that has extra food items to individuals or businesses that are willing to buy it at promotional prices. So basically, distributors can sell it to food businesses. And they use it for instant consumptions anyways. And the same for local eateries. If they have extra portions, they can list it on the app, and we make it available to consumers who are looking for good deals.
Helen
Wow! There's a lot of logistics going on behind the scenes there. You're in soft launch now. When is it going to be ready for someone to bag a bargain? And you've got a WIN box? Is that what it's called?
Kaoutar
Yes. From November it will be available for the end user. Now we are working with distributors and connecting them to food businesses. And how it works is that we offer WIN Boxes. It's a bundle of different food items at discounted price from 50% to 70%. So because the impact of food waste has different levels, it has an impact on the environment, on our wallets, and on the ecosystem. So we make sure that we offer the solution that benefits everybody. It's a win win solution for everyone.
Helen
That's a huge reduction in price when we think about cost of living - 50% to 70% off! What kind of food items are you expecting to go into those boxes?
Kaoutar
It is categorized in type of foods: from grocery store, to restaurants and bakeries. From there, the user can actually browse and find their tastes because remember we have 26,000 food businesses in Dubai only. So, for sure everybody will find something that they enjoy.
Helen
Wow! So for anyone listening today, I'm thinking about from a restaurant point of view. Are you onboarding businesses right now?
Kaoutar
Yes, we are. Just last week, we helped the distributor that had over 600 kgs of dark organic chocolate coming all the way from Ecuador that was about to expire, had two weeks before ‘best by’ date. And through collaboration with Foodwatch Dubai Municipality, we managed to get a six month extension. People could taste the amazing chocolates rather than having it, you know, end up on the landfill.
Helen
Wow. So this is, as you say, B2B but also B2C, it's gonna be launching in November. Would you mind repeating the name of the app?
Kaoutar
Qa'lil
Helen
Is it available for download yet?
Kaoutar
Yes.
Helen
Okay. So that's the app you need to get to bargain WIN box at serious serious discount. I love the idea of just checking what's available on any given day. We think about seasonality, we think about what people might have ordered or over ordered with it, you know, we think about restaurant cancellations, and things happening in the kitchen. But for everyone listening today on the individual basis, what some of the things are that you do at home with food waste in mind that maybe we could be learning from as well?
Kaoutar
So actually, because I speak a lot with executive chefs, I learn along the way as well. Recently I learned that we buy our fruits from the fruit and veg market. And we buy them in big quantities. With the watermelon, usually, the remaining, I would just throw away. Now I learned to cut it and boil it in hot water for an hour, and add sugar into it. Then let it cool down, and the kids eat it as candy.
Helen
Really?
Kaoutar
Yes, I didn't know also. And it's amazing. It really tastes like a sweet dessert. And the kids think it's candy. And it's healthy.
Helen
Yeah, it's better than going in the landfill. Yeah, I thought I was doing well with composting, you're taking it to the next level.
We've had a number of you asking about the website. So it is winsustainably.com. And there's a link on there for downloading the app, is that right? Yes. And also an info sheet if they want us to contact them. So if you are interested in finding out more, maybe you didn't get the spelling of you can send me the word WIN if you want. I'd be very happy to send you the website with the link to download that app so you can get your WIN Box. I love the sound of this. I think that's really the best business ideas are problem solvers. But this is beyond a business. This is really really for the good planet. Thank you so much for your time. I really, really appreciate it. I love the idea of identifying that issue. And not just sitting at home and thinking someone should do it. You've actually done it. Huge congratulations, Kaoutar.
Kaoutar
Thank you for having me.
Helen
Absolute pleasure.