On.perfekt: help launch the first imperfect-food store in Luxembourg

By Irina Roman

On.perfekt, a Luxembourg-based cooperative, aims to reduce food waste by giving wonky, imperfect produce a second chance.

The initiative is intended to benefit local and regional producers as on.perfekt helps with the harvesting process and buys produce that would otherwise have no chance of making it to supermarket shelves through existing distribution channels. Founded during the pandemic, the cooperative is currently active in a monthly pop-up market in Hosingen. After a year of selling excess food at a "pay-what-you-want" price, on.perfekt now wants to professionalise its work by launching a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising €95,000 by February 18th. Their objective is to establish a sustainable sales channel for food that does not conform to the norm. This includes preparing and selling subscription vegetable boxes as well as opening a bricks-and-mortar shop.

“In our shop, we want to make it easier for people to access the food they cannot otherwise buy. In doing so, talking to customers is important to us, but what is also important is that the products are affordable for everyone.”

— Julia Gregor, co-founder of on.perfekt

HOW IT ALL STARTED

*“Eat more plants” say on.perfekt on their social media - Photography by on.perfekt*

The project began with three founding members who wanted to rectify the food waste problem of the Western world. After discovering that 30% of all produce is discarded before reaching shop shelves due to cosmetic issues, the three women started reaching out to food producers and talking to farmers to understand how their sales channels operated in order to identify what could be done to help the food surplus problem.

“Until now, food surplus hasn’t been dealt with.”

— Estelle Flamming, on.perfekt member

Quite quickly, partnerships began to arise and a network of volunteers was created to help farms with a second harvest. All the vegetables that didn’t make the initial cut to be sold through existing sales channels, for example zucchinis with the wrong size or colour, were harvested in a second round which was then sold through weekly markets. This helps avoid food waste while helping farmers generate additional income.

ABOUT ON.PERFEKT

An important task for the team was finding a name for the project that would encompass everything it stands for. On.perfekt - meaning ‘imperfect’ in Luxembourgish, refers not only to the wonky fruit they sell but also to their perception of Luxembourg’s food economy and our relationship towards food, something they felt needed restructuring. As a cooperative and social enterprise (SIS - société d'impact sociétal), on.perfekt is managed by its members who invest 100% of the profits into accomplishing the initiative’s ecological and social goals. on.perfekt wants to contribute to the national goal of halving food waste, supporting local producers, and educating consumers about food standards such as sell-by dates. "If the sell-by date has passed, it by no means means that the product is no longer edible. You can trust your own senses and try the food," says Fabienne Faber.

*On.perfekt sell wonky fruit and vegetables at the local Hosingen market - Photography by on.perfekt*

When asked what the initial response was to their project, Estelle said that, “there were doubts, but the response was overwhelmingly positive.” With the current climate crisis and Luxembourg’s national goals to help the environment, on.perfekt’s initiative comes at the right time.

CROWDFUNDING FOR A STORE

Having won the “Äre Projet (m)am Naturpark” sustainability competition, the team moved onto their crowdfunding campaign to make the idea of an on.perfekt shop become a reality. Supporters can choose from a variety of thank-you gifts, such as shopping vouchers or vegetable boxes. As an "all-or-nothing" crowdfunding campaign, the project sum of €95,000 is only paid out if the required minimum amount is reached within a month. Otherwise, backers get their money back. As of today, on.perfekt have already reached more than half of their goal and have until the 18th of February to get the remaining half.

Estelle estimates that it will take 3-6 months to open up the shop, putting the launch date somewhere around mid 2022. The store will sell a range of seasonal wonky fruit and veg at a ‘pay-what-you-want’ price alongside food items past their best-before date or other ‘imperfect’ items. “During one of our last pop-up markets, we were even selling sweatshirts where something went wrong during the printing process,” says Estelle.

*Volunteers harvesting fruit and vegetables - Photography by on.perfekt*

On.perfekt are also looking for new cooperative members to join their team. People can buy shares at €50 each during the crowdfunding campaign. “We know people have different resources, time and interests so we don’t want to limit access to anybody,” explains Estelle. The activities members will be working on depend on the season. In spring and summer members help more with harvesting but a big portion of the work will also be to make on.perfekt an information platform sharing not only news about the store but starting discussions about important food-waste issues.