OLIO

A free app aimed at encouraging neighbours to connect with each other and with local business so that food, books, clothes and more can be shared and not thrown away. In OLIO’s words; the app encourages people to ‘share more and waste less.’

When co-founder Tessa was packing up to move country, she couldn’t bear to empty her kitchen cupboards into the bin. With a childhood spent being raised on a farm, Tessa knew the hard work that went into producing the food we eat, so she set off on a wild goose to give her food away. While she failed in her food giveaway endeavours that December day, this experience, paired with her upbringing, lead to the lightbulb moment in which OLIO was born. In February 2015, Tessa mentioned this idea to her friend Saasha, who immediately got it, and the pair decided to bring OLIO to life.

To date, over 1,700,000 OLIOers have joined the app, over 2,900,000 portions of food have been shared and the equivalent of over 8,500,000 care miles have been saved. 80% of OLIO’s activity is in the UK, but the app is also being used globally, with successful shares taking place in 49 countries.