Getir Providing Nonprofits With Groceries
Ultrafast delivery service Getir has joined forces with Copia, a technology provider connecting businesses with excess food to nonprofits, to reduce food waste and give back to local communities.
The partnership is providing food and groceries from Getir’s stores to select nonprofits across New York City, Chicago and Boston. Additionally, the collaboration aims to create a seamless turn-key solution in solving hunger issues while reducing the environmental impact of food waste.
“From the top down, the Getir team is excited to help divert some of the 108 billion pounds of food per year that otherwise gets left in environmentally toxic landfills,” said Langston Dugger, head of operations of Istanbul-based Getir. “Throughout all locations in our three operational cities, the wider Getir team – delivery riders, managers, customers and local communities – have embraced this partnership with Copia.”
The U.S. discards more food than any other country in the world, nearly 40 million tons — 80 billion pounds — every year. That’s estimated to be 30% to 40% of the entire U.S. food supply, and equates to 219 pounds of waste per person, according to data from “Food and Waste in America in 2022,” provided by RTS, a New York-based commercial waste and garbage disposal company.
To solve this issue, Copia built the underpinning technology to measure, manage and strategically reduce food waste while ensuring all edible surplus food gets diverted to those most in need. Copia’s automated system allows Getir to manage full-circle logistics – scheduling food pickup times, organizing which foods to donate, staying compliant with local authorities and managing tax benefits – as a crucial part of company operations.
“Copia makes it easy and beneficial for businesses to reduce their food waste and donate their surplus to communities in need,” said Kimberly Smith, CEO of San Francisco-based Copia. “Partnering with Getir, a leader in the last-mile grocery fulfillment segment, is an exciting and strategic expansion for Copia’s technology.”
Since teaming with Copia in March, Getir has already donated 7,485 pounds of edible food, delivered 6,238 meals to local nonprofits, saved 741,000 gallons of water, and diverted more than 330,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
Also last month, Getir revealed that it raised $768 million in its Series E funding round, bringing the company’s valuation to $11.8 billion and cementing its position as a “decacorn” — a company with a value exceeding $10 billion.
