Ontario company selling ‘odd’ or ‘ugly’ produce for huge discount launching in Toronto

A visit to the grocery retailer in Ontario can price as a lot, if no more than, an evening out today.

New knowledge launched by Statistics Canada on Tuesday exhibits grocery costs have been up 11.4 per cent from a yr in the past and 11 per cent from December. Because of that, customers wish to stretch their greenback so far as they’ll with out sacrificing the staples of their fridge or pantry.

To fill the hole, an Ontario-based firm that sells “odd” or “ugly” vegetables and fruit that don’t meet main grocery retailer’s strict aesthetic requirements is launching in Toronto.

“Maybe the retail stores turned down [the produce] for cosmetics, maybe they have too much…Let’s put them together in a box and offer it at a ridiculous discount,” Odd Bunch Founder Divy Ojha advised CTV News Toronto.

The firm works straight with farms, greenhouses and distributors in southwestern Ontario to supply the merchandise, which may embrace objects with imperfections as minor as a cucumber that’s too curved or a clementine that’s not fairly the suitable color, Ojha mentioned.

From there, prospects can choose an all vegetable, all fruit, or combined field and have it delivered on to their door.

While the service isn’t the primary to market, with related companies within the east and west coasts, Ohja mentioned what makes his firm stand out is its dedication to addressing the meals waste drawback.

A mom and daughter are seen with a field of ‘ugly’ vegetables and fruit from Odd Bunch. (Supplied)

Since launching in May 2022, Ojha mentioned Odd Bunch has diverted 10 million kilos from landfills.

“At the end of the day, [the unwanted produce] it’s going to landfills, it’s creating or emitting more greenhouse gases, while one in seven Canadians are struggling to put food on the table,” Ohja mentioned.

“It makes you wonder, what people like you and I could do to try and mitigate that, or at least try to make some sort of progress towards that.”

Ohja mentioned Odd Bunch launched a beta model of their service with a restricted run of merchandise earlier this yr in Toronto and that the response was “amazing.”

However, he mentioned that he wanted to scale up the logistical aspect of the business to satisfy the demand.

“We nailed some of those things down and we’re feeling a bit more comfortable now,” he mentioned.

Odd Bunch launches in Toronto on Thursday.