Brisbane Startup Fights Food Waste One Loaf at a Time
Brisbane households are set to slash their grocery bills while helping save the planet thanks to a delicious new partnership between two local companies. Food rescue company Funky Food, proudly headquartered in Brisbane, has teamed up with Sonoma Artisan Bakery to rescue perfectly fresh artisan bread from waste and deliver it straight to kitchen tables across South East Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne.
Known for rescuing cosmetically imperfect fruit and vegetables rejected by major supermarkets, Funky Food is now adding Sonoma’s famous handcrafted sourdoughs, rolls and specialty loaves to its delivery boxes. While these premium breads may not meet rigid supermarket appearance standards, they deliver the exact same quality and flavour.
The partnership directly tackles the growing dual pressures of rising grocery bills and environmental waste. The scale of the problem is significant, with Australia throwing away around 456 million loaves of bread every year. According to data from End Food Waste Australia, households contribute 32 per cent of the country’s annual 36.6 billion dollar food waste bill, with the average family throwing out four kilograms of food each week.
Sonoma General Manager Aine Doran said artisan baking was by nature beautifully imperfect. She noted that because every loaf is handcrafted, one might occasionally not look exactly how it was intended, but remains entirely delicious inside. Partnering with Funky Food ensures those incredible loaves find a home where they can be appreciated rather than going to waste.
Funky Food Chief Executive Officer Noah Pratt said adding bread to their service had always been a priority. He explained that after rescuing millions of kilograms of fruit and vegetables over the past few years, adding artisan bread was a natural next step to stop great food ending up in landfill. He added that the collaboration was particularly meaningful because Sonoma shares both their corporate values and the very same Brisbane street.
Since its launch, Funky Food has delivered more than 650,000 boxes and rescued nearly eight million kilograms of produce, helping shoppers save up to 30 per cent compared with major supermarket chains. Customers can now customize their orders to include the rescued artisan bread alongside produce, meat and pantry staples, supporting Australian producers while combating the national waste crisis.