Stokelp: French Startup’s B2B Solution to Food Waste
Explore how French startup Stokelp is tackling food waste in the supply chain with a B2B marketplace for surplus raw materials. Learn about their environmental impact, significant growth, and ambitious plans to reduce European food waste by 50% by 2025.
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Attention to food waste is growing, but it is not just households that contribute to this issue. In the EU, almost half of it is generated upwards in the food supply chain, Eurostat estimates show.
Stokelp: A Solution to Supply Chain Food Waste
That’s the step where French startup Stokelp comes in, with a B2B marketplace enabling the purchase and resale of surplus food raw materials, whether that’s meat, fruit, vegetables, dairy, or ingredients such as spices or flour.
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Using Stokelp’s platform, food industry manufacturers can source what they need from more than 3,000 members. Both parties are then free to negotiate purchase terms, but the startup helps secure the transaction. “From administrative management to the delivery of your materials, Stokelp supports you throughout the duration of your purchases,” it promises.
“The idea was born from noticing a lack of solutions in my former job as a raw materials buyer,” CEO Tanguy de Cottignies said. Conversely, it helps create value out of overstock. But the impact goes beyond buyers and sellers: Less food waste also means less environmental impact.
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The Environmental Impact of Reducing Food Waste
“Today in Europe, 1.6 million tons of food raw materials are destroyed, resulting in more than 4 million tons of CO2 being unnecessarily emitted into the air and soil,” according to the startup, which was founded in 2021 and is one of some 400 companies incubated by Agoranov.
Instead of producing more, Stokelp promotes responsible sourcing of raw materials, a win-win for both sides of the market. The proposal is resonating: “In 2023, in our second year of existence, we achieved 2.5 million euros in revenue, and we project 10 million euros for 2024,” its CEO said.
While word of mouth and its presence in food industry federations helped the company grow into its current position, it won’t hurt either that it raised €3 million in funding last year from investors including OneRagtime, AFI Ventures, Rothschild & Co and Better Angle.
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Stokelp’s European Ambitions and Competitive Advantage
This helped the company grow its team to 17 people split between Paris and Barcelona, which also reflects its European ambitions. This may require outpacing its German competitor, Leroma, but the French startup is confident. “Our strength lies in our speed of execution and our ability to address all types of food raw materials,” de Cottignies said.
Participating in SIAL Startup Invest, the CEO added, will also help the team catch up with existing clients while meeting new European food industry manufacturers. This will be another step towards its mission to reduce this European food waste by 50% upstream in the value chain by 2025.
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