OLIO
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
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.
OLIO firmographics
Firmographics- 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
OLIO industry classification
Industry- 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
Where OLIO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
OLIO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- 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
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free consumer app |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
OLIO product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use OLIO
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
OLIO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
OLIO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Lidl GBflagshipLidl 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).
- NeighbourlycoreNeighbourly 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 CateringcoreDolce 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.
- ReFoodminorReFood 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 GroupcoreCompass 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.
- TescocoreTesco 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 MangercorePret A Manger collaborates with OLIO's Food Waste Heroes Programme to redistribute surplus food from their outlets to nearby communities.
- Costa CoffeecoreCosta Coffee works with OLIO's Food Waste Heroes Programme to reduce food waste by redistributing surplus items from coffee shops to local communities.
- SainsburyscoreSainsburys is a retail partner providing free food for sharing through the OLIO app at local store level.
- Iceland FoodscoreIceland Foods is a retail partner providing free food for sharing through the OLIO app at local store level.
- ASDAcoreASDA is a retail partner providing free food for sharing through the OLIO app at local store level.
- Central Co-opcoreCentral Co-op is a retail partner providing free food for sharing through the OLIO app at local store level.
- Planet OrganiccorePlanet 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
OLIO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
OLIO social profiles
Digital presenceOLIO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OLIO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
OLIO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OLIO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OLIO
What does OLIO do?
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.
Is OLIO a public or private company?
OLIO is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was OLIO founded?
OLIO was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is OLIO based?
OLIO is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does OLIO make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Business Partnership Fees are the primary driver. The others are surplus Food Redistribution Services.
Who are OLIO's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Too Good To Go, FareShare and Neighbourly. Emerging players are Karma, Yume, Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods. Broad incumbents are Winnow Solutions, Leanpath and Apeel Sciences.
Does OLIO have an API?
No public API is recorded for OLIO.
What industry is OLIO in?
OLIO's product category is Food Sharing Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAEAH, Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs), with a secondary code of EUAIANAA, Product Take-Back & Reverse Logistics Programs. Its NAICS code is 62421 and its SIC code is 4953.