OLIO

What OLIO does

OLIO is a London-headquartered food sharing platform founded in 2015 that operates a mobile application (iOS and Android) connecting neighbours, volunteer collectors, and retail partners to redistribute surplus food and household items. Its core products are the Olio App, which enables peer-to-peer sharing of free or low-cost food, books, toys, and toiletries between neighbours, and the Food Waste Heroes Programme, a structured volunteer network of 30,000+ community members who collect surplus inventory from partnered retailers and redistribute it locally. As of 2025-2026 the platform reports 9 million registered users globally and over 25 million portions of food shared since inception.

The underlying technology is a standard mobile marketplace with global distribution via the Apple App Store and Google Play. The platform supports two distinct flows: a consumer-to-consumer listing and pickup flow for individual items, and a business-to-community flow where partnered retailers release surplus inventory for volunteer pickup and community redistribution. Notable platform features include community-driven listings, an Ambassador programme for local user acquisition, and integration with retail partner inventory.

OLIO's revenue model is B2B-led. The consumer app is free, and revenue is generated through business partnerships with major UK retailers and food service operators (Tesco, Lidl GB, Sainsbury's, ASDA, Iceland, Central Co-op, Planet Organic, Pret A Manger, Costa Coffee, Compass Group, Dolce Schools Catering) on a mix of recurring subscription and transaction-fee arrangements tied to surplus food redistribution services. The company is privately held and venture-backed, having raised a $43 million Series B in September 2021 led by VNV Global and Lugard Road Capital. Operations are based in the United Kingdom with a recent expansion into Singapore, and headcount sits in the 101-250 range.

Name

OLIO

Legal name

Olio

Website

https://olioex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

OLIO is a London-based mobile platform founded in 2015 that connects neighbours, volunteer Food Waste Heroes, and major UK retailers to redistribute surplus food and household items, serving 9 million+ consumers and enterprise partners including Tesco, Lidl, Sainsbury's, and Compass Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Sharing Platform

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs) (EUAIAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Product Take-Back & Reverse Logistics Programs (EUAIANAA), Circular Economy & Waste/Materials Reporting (Zero waste, packaging) (EUAHAJAL)

Keywords

• Food sharing platform
• Surplus food redistribution
• Community sharing app
• Food waste reduction
• Peer-to-peer marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Business Partnership Fees: OLIO generates revenue through partnerships with retailers and businesses who use the Food Waste Heroes Programme to redistribute surplus food, reducing their waste disposal costs and environmental impact
2. Surplus Food Redistribution Services: Services provided to businesses like Lidl, Tesco, Pret A Manger, and Costa Coffee to collect and redistribute surplus food through volunteer networks

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

OLIO operates a free mobile application that connects neighbours and local communities to share surplus food and household items for free or for sale. The company also runs the Food Waste Heroes Programme, a volunteer-led initiative that collects surplus food from major UK retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl, ASDA, Iceland, Costa Coffee, Pret A Manger and others) and redistributes it to nearby households. Revenue is generated through B2B partnership fees and redistribution services paid by retailer and food-service partners.

Product overview

Olio operates as a unified mobile platform combining a consumer-facing app for food and household item sharing with a structured volunteer programme (Food Waste Heroes) that redistributes surplus food from retail partners to local communities. The core Olio App enables neighbor-to-neighbor sharing and discovery of free items from participating businesses, while the Food Waste Heroes Programme coordinates volunteer pickups of surplus inventory from partnered retailers. A secondary offering, the Olio Shop, sells branded merchandise through a third-party platform. The company reported 9 million registered users as of 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OLIO App A free mobile application (iOS and Android) that enables community members to share surplus food and household items with neighbours for free or for sale, browse free food from local shops, declutter belongings, and participate in the Food Waste Heroes volunteer programme. The consumer-facing app targets individual users seeking to save money and reduce waste.
• Food Waste Heroes Programme A volunteer-driven enterprise service in which OLIO coordinates 30,000+ community Food Waste Heroes to collect surplus food from partner retailers and food-service operators (including Tesco, Lidl GB, Sainsbury's, ASDA, Iceland, Costa Coffee, Pret A Manger, Central Co-op and Planet Organic) and redistribute it to local communities. Sold to enterprise partners as a sustainability and waste-reduction service.
• Olio Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• 25 million portions of food shared
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Lidl GBflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Lidl GB launched a surplus food redistribution trial in partnership with Neighbourly and OLIO on May 15th across 20 stores. The initiative uses Food Waste Heroes to collect and redistribute evening items including chilled food, meat, fish, poultry, and bakery goods. If successful, aims to redistribute 5,000+ tonnes of food annually (11.9 million meals equivalent).
• NeighbourlycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Neighbourly partners with Lidl GB and OLIO for the surplus food redistribution trial, serving as a community partnership platform alongside OLIO's Food Waste Hero network.
• Dolce Schools CateringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Dolce Schools Catering partnered with OLIO as part of its sustainability and food waste reduction strategy across 650 schools in England and Wales, redistributing surplus meals to local communities through OLIO's volunteer app network.
• ReFoodminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026ReFood partners with Dolce Schools Catering alongside OLIO, collecting unavoidable food waste for anaerobic digestion to generate renewable energy while OLIO handles surplus meal redistribution.
• Compass GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2025Compass Group, the world's largest catering company, partners with OLIO alongside FareShare and Too Good to Go to redistribute surplus food as part of their sustainability commitments.
• TescocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2021Tesco partners with OLIO's Food Waste Heroes Programme to redistribute surplus food from stores to local communities. Tesco is one of OLIO's key retail partners for food waste reduction.
• Pret A MangercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2021Pret A Manger collaborates with OLIO's Food Waste Heroes Programme to redistribute surplus food from their outlets to nearby communities.
• Costa CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2021Costa Coffee works with OLIO's Food Waste Heroes Programme to reduce food waste by redistributing surplus items from coffee shops to local communities.
• SainsburyscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2021Sainsburys is a retail partner providing free food for sharing through the OLIO app at local store level.
• Iceland FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2021Iceland Foods is a retail partner providing free food for sharing through the OLIO app at local store level.
• ASDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2021ASDA is a retail partner providing free food for sharing through the OLIO app at local store level.
• Central Co-opcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2021Central Co-op is a retail partner providing free food for sharing through the OLIO app at local store level.
• Planet OrganiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2021Planet Organic is a retail partner providing free food for sharing through the OLIO app at local store level.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Too Good To Go: European food waste app connecting consumers with surplus food from restaurants and retailers via a 'magic bag' model. Direct competitor in the same food surplus/sharing category with similar mobile-first consumer UX and B2B retailer partnerships.
• FareShare: UK's largest food redistribution charity, redistributing surplus food from retailers to charities and community groups. Directly competes with OLIO for retailer surplus food partnerships, including being named alongside OLIO in Compass Group's partnerships.
• Neighbourly: UK community surplus food redistribution platform partnering with major retailers like Lidl GB, M&S, and Tesco. Co-partnered with OLIO on the Lidl GB trial, indicating overlapping enterprise offerings in the same target market.

Emerging players

• Karma: Mobile app that allows restaurants and stores to sell surplus food at discounted prices to nearby consumers. Overlaps with OLIO's surplus food mission but uses a paid discount model rather than free sharing.
• Yume: Australian B2B surplus food marketplace connecting food manufacturers with commercial buyers. Operates in the same surplus food redistribution category but focuses on commercial trade rather than community sharing.
• Misfits Market: US-based online grocer selling 'ugly' and surplus produce at discount to reduce food waste. Shares the food waste reduction mission and consumer subscription model but operates as a direct-to-consumer subscription rather than a sharing platform.
• Imperfect Foods: Online grocer selling surplus and 'ugly' produce plus surplus packaged goods to reduce food waste. Similar consumer subscription model and waste-reduction mission, though geographically focused on the US.

Broad incumbents

• Winnow Solutions: Food waste tracking and analytics technology for commercial kitchens, helping operators measure and reduce waste. Adjacent in the food waste reduction value chain but focuses on measurement/prevention upstream rather than redistribution.
• Leanpath: Commercial food waste prevention platform used by foodservice operators and retailers to track and reduce kitchen waste. Similar ESG-driven value proposition for retailers but focuses on measurement rather than redistribution.
• Apeel Sciences: Food technology company developing plant-based coatings to extend produce shelf life and reduce food waste upstream. Adjacent in addressing retailer food waste through technology rather than redistribution logistics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/olio_ex
• Facebookfacebook.com/olioapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/olio-the-food-sharing-revolution
• Instagraminstagram.com/olio.app

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OLIO