Waging a war against food wastage in France and Europe, French anti-food waste startup Hors Normes has raised €7 million from Project A and Stride to save ‘rejected’ fruit and vegetables and deliver directly to customers.
With this new funding, it intends to continue its expansion in the French territory and prepare its development in Europe.
The company is operational in 125 towns, including Paris, Lyon and Marseille, has over some 7,000 regular customers and saved 400 tonnes of fruit and vegetables since its launch.
Founded in 2020, Hors Normes helps French organic farmers and producers sell their products directly to consumers when these products are refused by traditional retail channels. Indeed, the company markets the rejected share of their stock, 5% on average, directly to consumers, all at prices up to 40% lower than those of organic stores. This is a win-win relationship, which also has the merit of contributing to reducing the carbon footprint of food.
Sven Ripoche, co-founder of Hors Normes said: “This second round of financing marks the start of a new stage in Hors Normes’ expansion. We now plan to expand our presence in France and abroad, and boost our range of saved products. Our action also has a positive social impact on French producers, since Hors Normes is an additional source of income for them.”
Going forward, it will expand to five new French cities, including Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lille and Nantes by the end of 2023, with one opening planned by December 2022. It is also looking at expanding into Germany, Spain and Italy. The company will also increase the range of grocery products refused by traditional retail chains – from 30 to 500 references by the end of 2023 and then add fresh products. The company will develop new features to promote basket customisation and roll out its mobile app by the end of summer as well.
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