Tired of seeing so much perfectly good food going to waste, entrepreneurs Louise Fritjofsson and Kari Morris created Martie, an online grocery store that diverts pantry staples from landfills.
Launched in 2021, the online discount grocer sells "shelf-stable groceries and household essentials at up to 70% off local grocery store prices" and delivers them straight to customers' doors, as Martie's head of marketing and communications Michelle Nadeau told The Cool Down in an email.
Before starting Martie, Morris and Fritjofsson had both launched several healthy food companies with the goal of making nourishing foods cheaper and more accessible. However, they quickly noticed the inefficiencies and drawbacks of our food system.
"In the US, 30-40% of food goes to waste, even though most of it is perfectly safe to consume. And with over 38 million food insecure Americans, we thought to ourselves....hmmm, what if we solve one problem (food insecurity and accessibility) by solving another (unnecessary food waste)?" the founders explained on the company's website.
Following in the footsteps of food companies that sell "ugly" or oddly shaped produce at a discount, such as Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods, Martie buys salvage food and household items from various vendors and food producers and sells it to customers at 30-70% off, as Fritjofsson told NBC Bay Area.
Michelle told TCD that the non-perishables and household essentials offered are "primarily items that would otherwise be thrown out due to overstock, package changing, nearing best-by dates, or seasonality."
According to TechCrunch, customers can choose from over 800 products in 14 categories, including snacks, sweets, pantry, beverage, household, and baby & toddler. Shoppers will find items from popular brands such as "KIND, Annie's, Kellogg's and hundreds more," Michelle told TCD.
She added that Martie customers don't have to sign up for a monthly membership or subscription and can save an average of $54 per order or $600 per year, with 47% of shoppers returning each month.
In addition to combating food insecurity, Martie is also making a positive impact on the planet.
🗣️ Would you buy juice or yogurt made with bruised or misshapen fruit?
🔘 If I couldn't tell the difference 🤔
🔘 If it were cheaper 💰
🔘 If it were healthier 🍎
🔘 I'd never buy it 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"To date, Martie has saved over 5 million pounds of food from going to waste, the equivalent of taking 2,260 cars off the road," Michelle told TCD.
While Martie initially only sold rescued food in California, it moved its warehouse to Texas last year to facilitate nationwide shipping. The company also plans on opening two new warehouses this year to help with order fulfillment, per Supermarket News.
"We are thrilled to offer every person in this country access to surplus items at a discounted rate, including specialty and premium items. Martie promises significant savings and to always stock our online with the essentials you know and need," Fritjofsson told TCD.
"By selling surplus items that would otherwise go to waste, we are enabling customers to be environmental heroes simply by shopping discounted groceries! That we make shopping a fun experience akin to a treasure hunt is a pretty amazing bonus," she added.
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