Eat Grim

About Eat Grim

Eat Grim is a direct-to-consumer platform focused on combating food waste by creating a market for produce that is typically rejected due to cosmetic imperfections or overproduction. The company was established in Copenhagen, Denmark, in March 2018 by Petra Kaukua and Carolin Schiemer, who met while studying Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Copenhagen Business School. Their shared interest in sustainable food systems and a frustration with the scale of food waste in Europe, where an estimated 50 million tons of edible crops are discarded annually, motivated them to found the company.

The business operates on a subscription-based model, offering customers boxes of 'ugly' and surplus organic fruit and vegetables delivered to their homes or nearby pick-up points on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. This model provides predictable revenue and simplifies sourcing from a network of primarily organic farms. By sourcing directly, Eat Grim shortens the supply chain, offers farmers a fair price for their entire harvest, and provides consumers with high-quality produce at a competitive price. In addition to its primary B2C focus, the company also supplies produce to food businesses, which contributed a small percentage to its revenue. To enhance its sustainable practices, Eat Grim utilizes eco-friendly logistics, such as bike couriers for inner-city deliveries, and employs reusable wooden boxes for packaging, with a high return rate from customers.

The founders brought complementary expertise to the venture. Petra Kaukua, originally from Finland, serves as CEO, leveraging her background in sales and strategy to manage finances and relationships with the farmer network. Carolin Schiemer, from Germany, acts as CMO, applying her experience in brand management from her time at Zalando to oversee the company's product, brand, and customer experience. After an initial bootstrapping phase, Eat Grim secured non-equity funding from the InnoFounder accelerator program, which allowed them to reinvest sales revenue into growth. The company experienced significant growth, expanding its delivery areas and, as of June 2021, had around 3,500 subscribers and 30 employees. However, after a period of rapid expansion, the company filed for bankruptcy in late 2021, citing the challenges of scaling and the need for more significant growth capital. It later re-launched in 2022 with the support of new investors.