Whilst the second half of this year has been plagued by lockdowns and Covid, I thought it was important to recap and reflect on what has been yet another massive year for Foodprint.
The year started with the inaugural Food Waste Summit in March. It was wonderful to be in a room with approximately 200 other people from across different areas of the food supply chain all working on food waste minimization.
Foodprint Team:
I started the year looking for a new Business Development Manager to join the team and was lucky enough to find Katie. She’s just as passionate about food waste reduction as I am, having just returned from the UK where she was involved with several food waste volunteer groups.
In April it was time to say a temporary farewell to Harriet, as she settled into her new role as a mum to two beautiful wee boys. Louisa then joined the team to pick up where Harriet left off. Louisa has been working part-time while completing her Marketing and Advertising studies at AUT!
Not long after, Nadine found us having just completed her Bachelor's Thesis and internship with T&G. Fun fact: Nadine interviewed via Zoom, the first time we met in person was when I picked her up from the airport in Wellington for her first day where she also stayed in the same house as me for her first two weeks. I think I’m lucky she stuck around!!
We’ll be looking to add another member to our team in the new year, so keep an eye out on our social media for more on that!
Climate Response Accelerator:
In June, Foodprint was accepted into the Creative HQ, Climate Response Accelerator which involved a temporary relocation to Wellington for three months. The programme and the support Foodprint received was phenomenal. For the duration of the programme, I worked alongside a mentor board and startup coach. In addition, there were weekly sessions on topics such as market analysis, brand strategy, leadership and pitching for investment. We heard from founders who had sat in our seats sometimes only months beforehand and grew our networks as a result. Foodprint’s main goal of the programme was to get started in Wellington and I’m pleased to share that we are now working with around 60 eateries in the region, stretching from Hutt Central to Miramar. During the programme, both Katie and Nadine stayed with me on and off in our little flat which Ben from CHQ dubbed the Start-Up House.
Food Waste Month & Wellington Launch:
The International Day of Awareness for Food Loss and Waste, AKA Food Waste Day falls on September 29th. Here at Foodprint, our main goal is to minimise food waste, so we decided to turn Food Waste Day into Food Waste Month! We shared food waste tips and tricks on our social media over the month. To check them out, visit our Instagram. On the actual Food Waste Day, we officially launched in Wellington! Safe to say, September was a big month for Foodprint.
Recognition:
In June, Foodprint was a finalist for the inaugural Circle Awards. This celebrated organisations across Australia and New Zealand moving towards a circular economy.
In November, I was honoured to be included in this years' 40 Under 40 from the University of Auckland. This resulted in me landing a place in the top ten Heroes from NZ Herald. Both lists are filled with people I consider to be heroes myself so it’s an absolute honour to be included amongst them. Also, a huge thanks to Stuff, RNZ, NBR, Radio Active, Magic Talk, The Breeze and of course the NZ Herald for their coverage of Foodprint this year.
Presentations:
In April, I shared my story at Muv Talks’ Sustainability 101 event. If you haven’t checked out what Laura and Pauli have created with these events, I highly recommend adding them to the calendar for 2022.
I was delighted to join a panel with the Ministry for the Environment and Creative HQ for the first Auckland Climate Festival in October. I also thoroughly enjoyed joining MP Angie Warren-Clark on a panel for Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance’s technology showcase in December, postponed from their AGM in September.
The University of Auckland Centre for Supply Chain Management hosted a session on food waste in October. It was great to be invited to join this panel by one of our customers!
Throughout the year, I've also contributed to the Independent Aotearoa Food Systems Dialogue and submitted on the government's waste reduction strategy.
We’ve wrapped up the year with our first get together as a team of 4 and I can’t tell you how happy it made me for our wee team to all be in the same place at the same time. We’re all taking a break this year - we’ll be back at work on 10th January. Don’t worry, there’ll be food on the app between now and then!
See you next year!
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