“At that time, I genuinely believed it would be the end of the brand, so having the opportunity to see it continue means a lot, both to me personally and the community.”
Garvey will no longer work at the company.
Foodprint is back on the menu after a last-minute rescue by Delivereasy, which plans to merge the business with its own food-rescue service, Gone Good. Photo / Foodprint
When she announced the closure, Garvey pointed to the difficult trading conditions facing New Zealand’s hospitality sector.
“It’s no secret that business is tough,” she said at the time.
Asked about Foodprint’s profitability, a spokesperson for Delivereasy said, “like many early-stage platforms, it had built a strong brand, customer base and network of eateries, but the economics of operating the business independently made it difficult to generate a sustainable return”.
The company plans to incorporate its delivery model into the app. Previously, customers would have to visit stores as they were closing and pick up discounted products.
“Delivereasy already has much of the infrastructure required to operate and grow a marketplace platform, technology capability, customer support, marketing, commercial relationships and an established team, so we can bring Foodprint into that existing operation at a relatively low incremental cost,” the spokesperson said.
Foodprint founder Michal Garvey (left) and her Delivereasy counterpart Tim Robinson. Photo / Foodprint
Delivereasy’s food-rescue platform, Gone Good, was launched in October last year and has since signed up hundreds of vendors across 10 cities.
Delivereasy founder Tim Robinson said the two businesses shared similar goals and combining them would strengthen their collective impact.
“We’ve always had a lot in common with Foodprint,” Robinson said.
“Both platforms were created with the same goal: helping Kiwis rescue great local food, while supporting businesses to reduce waste.
“Bringing the two communities together under Foodprint means more choice for customers, more support for local eateries and more good food being saved from going to waste.”
The merger officially took effect on August 31, with Gone Good’s customers and vendor network moving under the Foodprint brand.
For Garvey, the deal provides reassurance that the platform’s mission will continue.
The acquisition follows growing competition in New Zealand’s food-rescue market, including international giant Too Good To Go, which launched locally last year.