Bene Bono, a service of sustainable groceries that saves farmers’ and manufacturers’ products from waste to offer them to its clients at a cheaper price, announced a €10 million fundraising led by AVP (AXA Venture Partners) with the participation of 2050 and historical investors Stride VC and Project A. This new funding round will allow Bene Bono to strengthen its position as a major player in the fight against waste at its source.
Specifically, with this capital raise, the french foodtech player aims to recruit new talents for strategic positions, such as a Director of Purchasing, a Head of Product, and a Lead Data Manager. Expand its range of saved products to new categories, aiming for 1,000 references by the end of the year and further develop its private label (already 7 products). Also expand its business activities in the French market and continue the expansion of its service in Spain (particularly in Seville and Malaga). Reduce its environmental footprint by implementing reusable bags and delivery by electric vehicles and bicycles, amongst other things. And develop new features to continue satisfying a maximum number of customers and optimize its logistics processes.
These new features have been initiated at the end of 2023, transforming Bene Bono’s operational mode to fully customizable weekly orders, leveraging a unique technology. Indeed, customers can now fully customize their groceries, choosing from over 500 available saved products.
Founded in April 2020 by Grégoire Carlier, Sven Ripoche, and Claire Laurent (formerly of Deliveroo, La Fourchette, and Flow & Co), the startup Bene Bono has chosen to combat food waste by tackling the issue at its source.
Indeed, its teams enable French farmers and committed manufacturers to find commercial outlets for their food and non-food products rejected by traditional distribution channels for aesthetic or logistical reasons. Bene Bono provides the opportunity for conscientious French consumers to shop in a socially responsible, economical, and flexible manner, allowing them to increase their purchasing power or simply consume more responsibly! The service delivers weekly in six French urban areas and their surroundings (Paris, Lyon, Marseille/Aix-en-Provence, Lille/Roubaix, Toulouse, and Bordeaux).
Sven Ripoche, co-founder of Bene Bono, said: “This funding round follows the very successful year of 2023 marked by our successful launch in Spain and over 2,100 tons of products saved by our users. It will allow us to fight against waste on a larger scale, offering even more good products at reduced prices to the French and Spanish people!”
François Robinet, Managing Partner at AVP, added: “We are delighted and extremely proud to have been selected by the founders of Bene Bono, a major player in Foodtech, to accompany them in the next chapters of their story and this new phase of growth. We have been impressed by the intrinsic merits of the company and its remarkable development so far. This investment also demonstrates AVP’s commitment to investing in key sectors for the sustainable development of our societies, such as the fight against waste. The sector in which Bene Bono operates is at the heart of the challenges of transforming everyone’s food habits. We are pleased, along with current investors and 2050, to provide Bene Bono with the means to continue developing the platform in France and Spain and to support Grégoire, Sven, Claire, and all their teams in this new stage.”
