Dear minions of Sickman, did you know that Greece throws away the largest quantities of food in Europe, while it is ranked as the third worst country in the world?

Oh yes, apparently we can afford to throw away an average of 142 kilograms of food per person.

On the good news now, finally someone is doing something about it! “Bring it Back” was created with the aim to reduce this waste and “kick” Greece out of this negative position. Through the Bring it Back application, stores can make fresh leftover food available to consumers at very affordable prices and, as a result, reduce – or even eliminate – the waste of resources and thus the pollution of the environment. It also creates ecological awareness among consumers and enables them to contribute to the idea, in a profitable way for them as well, by allowing them to buy leftover fresh food at a very special price. The range of choices is wide, from restaurants to bakeries and super markets.

In other words, the Bring it Back app unites food outlets and consumers, with the common goal of reducing food waste and mutual profit. The goal is for the Bring it Back community to keep growing until there is food for all without an environmental footprint, and food waste is zero.

Here on the blog, you know that we greatly appreciate any movement or company that contributes to the community and the environment!

But let one of the four creators of Bring it Back, Christos Kokkoros, tell us better.

• How did you get the idea to start the company?

The idea actually started in December 2018, when the company I lead here in Berlin started working with the Danish project “Too Good To Go”. My aim in the first year was to bring this amazing idea to Greece, as I saw in practice how it works and how it can benefit a society.

But unfortunately at that time they didn’t want to deal with the Greek market, so I decided to do it on my own or with a group of people.

In the next period I started my postgraduate studies in order to enrich my knowledge in the field of Business Administration, until I met my partners.

• How ready are we as Greeks to welcome something so innovative?

The truth is that Greece is becoming more and more open to such ideas/projects. Whether it is 100% ready yet we cannot know, but a study we did gave us the impetus to start. We came to the following conclusions:

-The Greek knows about the consequences of wasting goods.

-The Greek wants to change this situation…

-The Greek lacks information on this very sensitive issue and

the actions that can help it to reduce waste.

• I read that the 2GoodToGo app has helped reduce food waste in northern European countries. Do you think the same can be done here?

I clearly believe it!!!!

After all, we are talking about an investment, otherwise we would be moving on to other projects as an investment group.

That in itself says it all.

• What is the big obstacle and the big advantage you see for Bring it Back in Greece?

The big obstacle is to understand that this project is clearly addressed to everyone and it’s just the first time that the financial incentive is given at the same time… I think your question is easily answered here!

• What are you hoping for as Bring it Back in the next two years?

Our goal is to establish ourselves in the Greek territory by the summer of 2023 and from then on to expand abroad with our first stop being Brazil. After all, one of the investors in this project comes from the coffee country.

• Do you think that humanity has reached a breaking point when it comes to

Estimates show that we are definitely on the brink. Reducing food waste will directly contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, one of the biggest problems facing the future of this planet.

• What is the message you would like to give to Greek food and catering businesses?

Of course, businesses must make a profit from whatever moves they choose to make. Thanks to Bring it Back, for the first time they are given the opportunity to save money on fresh produce that would be thrown away because it would not be consumed – at best, a minority of businesses give the food that is not consumed to organisations or citizens without any guarantee that it will actually be used. At the same time, through Bring it Back, businesses participate in an extremely important project that comes for the first time in Greece and has a key environmental purpose: not to waste the gift of food from now on.

In other words, businesses have everything to gain from working with us, both economically and socio-environmentally. This is what we want to offer Greek businesses.

Good luck from us, Christos!

Sincerely, Sickman’s Blog.