Improove, superhero in the fight against food waste!
In July 2023, Improove embarked on a noble mission: to reduce food waste, while offering delicious weekly baskets of fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices.
Beautiful, good, cheap
A non-profit organization, it recovers and recycles surplus fruit and vegetables from producers and distributors in the Greater Montreal area. Anti-gasp baskets are sold in cardboard boxes every week.
The response from customers has been swift: all their baskets are purchased regularly and delivered mainly in the area bounded by boulevard Décarie and Viau. As demand grows, “we’re also delivering beyond that, into the Greater Montreal area, on board our beautiful electric truck”, points out Ewan Le Pollès, head of communications and marketing. “We sell around thirty a week, between subscriptions and one-off purchases.”
For every box sold, Improove donates the equivalent to food banks and community restaurants. For co-founder John Tassi, “it’s a logical way to have a positive environmental and social impact, and to do good for our community!”
Being green down to the last km
The MOBIS gas pedal supports the young organization on the Sustainable Logistics front. In the early days of their project, they travelled by thermal truck. The team was looking for an eco-friendly solution to be consistent with its mission and values. Joffrey Fuzet, President of the Association des Livreurs verts et Responsables (ALIVRÉ) and their Logistics Director, lent them a cargo bike to transport food, promote Improove in public markets during the summer and deliver baskets. “We now deliver to 7 drop-off points,” says Le Pollès.
With the support of Coop Carbone and the guidance of logistics expert Gabriel Michaud, the cargo bike was also able to be parked free of charge at the Colibri Iberville mini-hub, Montreal’s second green urban delivery hub.
Proof by example
After 2 months in the field, the results speak for themselves:
“Thanks to the support of MOBIS, we were able to rapidly put in place the tools needed to manage our supply and distribution.
Today, we can still count on the support of our coaches to meet the new challenges that Improove may face,” explains John Tassi.
We’re off!
Improove is off to a flying start! Over the next few months, the team has its work cut out to meet the growing demand, particularly from students, and to offer even more economical baskets. It is also continuing to support the dozen or so circular economy businesses it represents, and will be investing in an electric van for future pick-ups and deliveries.
“Needs are great, but resources are limited. We need to do volume, while offering quality and variety. For the moment, we deliver 150 kilos per organization per week. Finally, we’re going to test the resistance of our boxes this winter”, explains Ewan Le Pollès.
Stay tuned!