To tackle the challenge of food waste in Hong Kong, Carla Martinesi launched Chomp, a bilingual app that gives the city’s eateries an opportunity to sell surplus food.
Businesses offering discounts on unsold food can use Chomp’s online marketplace to connect with people looking for a deal on their next meal.
Since its debut in 2021, more than 250 vendors have signed up, from local bakeries and coffee shops to big names, such as Maxim’s and the Shangri-La.
Thus far, the start-up has rescued more than 100,000 kg of food from Hong Kong’s landfills, the equivalent of more than 200,000 kg in carbon emissions.
Chomp’s success depends on managing the growth of both F&B outlets and diners to make sure supply and demand are roughly in sync.
That’s an ongoing challenge. Following a sizeable uptick in the user base, the current priority is recruiting more commercial partners – the aim is 500 by mid-year – to make sure there are enough offers to go around.
“It’s really ambitious, but I think it’s possible,” Ms Martinesi says.
At the same time, Chomp is broadening its reach beyond its initial offering to give users more reasons to stay.
One major growth opportunity is hotel buffets – where up to 50% of the prepared food can go to waste – following a four-week pilot with Kowloon Shangri-La last year. Excess food is sorted into biodegradable boxes, which can be ordered to take away through Chomp.
The start-up has also started hosting upscale dining nights, Rescued Feasts, which are run with local celebrity chefs who are given hundreds of kilos of food scraps to prepare gourmet dishes for some 200 people.
The concept, which started off as a brand awareness campaign, has become a separate revenue stream, while remaining an effective way to promote Chomp.
In addition to these new initiatives, the start-up now has deals with non-food companies, such as florists and skincare vendors, who have products with a shelf-life that they need to sell.
F&B remains the main focus, however.
“We’ve developed Chomp to be a 360 solution where, no matter what kind of community operator or business you are, there is a solution for you, whether you have food scraps, food surplus or just general food waste,” Ms Martinesi says.
While the start-up’s sales pitch is focused on the app’s financial benefits, it wants to keep its sustainability mission visible through workshops and online marketing to change perceptions within the F&B industry.
Always on the lookout for fresh investment, the priority for now is on grants and accelerators, which have provided the bulk of funding so far.
Chomp is part of the 2024 cohort of the Start-up Express entrepreneurship development programme run by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
The Start-up Express team has helped facilitate meetings with potential investors, while highlighting relevant events and alternative strategies to help Ms Martinesi navigate the challenges that lie ahead.
One useful area of discussion has been Chomp’s approach to international expansion, as growth opportunities at home and abroad are being weighed up.
Ms Martinesi is undecided on the timing of a move overseas but feels that adding another revenue stream will make it easier to launch in new markets.
“I have a feeling that the expansion doesn't work without a strong core offering,” she says. “We have a good version of Chomp at the moment, but it would be super great with both a corporate and consumer offering.”