What Olio does

Olio is a London-based mobile and web platform operating a community-driven marketplace for sharing surplus food and household items, founded around 2016 and structured as Olio Exchange Limited, a private UK limited company. The platform serves two primary constituencies: individual consumers ('Olio-ers') who share, request, borrow, or sell items locally via the iOS, Android, and web apps, and business food donors — predominantly UK supermarkets, convenience chains, and hospitality operators (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Pret, Iceland, ASDA, Central Co-op, Planet Organic, Costa, Waitrose, Morrisons) — whose surplus food is collected and redistributed by trained Food Waste Heroes volunteers using the Olio app and managed through the Partner Hub and Volunteer Hub portals. Technology comprises a mobile-first peer-to-peer marketplace with location-based discovery, in-app messaging, allergen information hosting for partner businesses, and third-party AI-assisted content moderation (Anthropic Claude AI and Google AI services) layered on infrastructure built primarily on Amazon AWS, Google Firebase/BigQuery, Mixpanel, and Sentry.

The business model is fundamentally freemium at the consumer layer: the core app is free and monetises via an optional paid subscription called Olio Supporter (monthly or annual, processed through the app stores via RevenueCat), affiliate links in the Goals sustainability section, and transactional features such as the recently launched Buy/Sell pre-owned items marketplace and Reduced Food/Lucky Dip discounted food discovery. Buy/Sell and Borrow currently carry no commission, and the company has stated that future paid features or constraints may be introduced. On the enterprise side, Olio partners with retailers and caterers to manage volunteer-driven surplus food collection — including a high-profile nationwide Sainsbury's partnership with charity collections (via FareShare) rolling out from March 2026 — though per-partner financial terms are not disclosed. Supporting products include Catering Collections for food-service businesses, an Events listing feature, and a Volunteer Hub/Partner Hub operational stack. Olio reports 9+ million registered users globally, with the UK as its primary market and additional presence in the USA and Ireland; the company holds no public funding round disclosures in the input data and is not listed.

Name

Olio

Legal name

Olio Exchange Limited

Website

https://olioapp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Olio operates a community-driven mobile marketplace serving individual consumers and UK retailers by enabling free sharing, borrowing, and sale of surplus food and household items, with trained Food Waste Heroes volunteers collecting retailer surplus for redistribution to local communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Sharing Platform

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Olio Supporter Subscription: Optional paid subscription (monthly or annual) offering enhanced map functionality and a special Olio Supporter Profile. Delivered as in-app purchase through iOS App Store, Google Play Store, or other app providers. RevenueCat handles subscription payment processing.
2. Affiliate Advertising (Goals section): Affiliate links within the Goals section, where users receive a percentage of sales when clicking third-party product links. Generated revenue helps fund the free app.
3. Buy / Sell Transactions: Currently free with no commission or fees for buyers or sellers on pre-owned non-food items. Future paid features or constraints may be introduced to generate additional income.
4. Corporate / Business Partnerships: Businesses (supermarkets, cafés, caterers) partner with Olio to donate surplus food, with Olio facilitating volunteer collections. Revenue from these partnerships may support platform operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Olio is a mobile-first peer-to-peer sharing platform that connects individuals and local businesses to redistribute surplus food and household items within communities. Users can offer and request free food and items, lend/borrow household goods, and buy/sell pre-owned items. Trained volunteers (Food Waste Heroes) collect surplus food from partner retailers and redistribute it to community members.

Product overview

Olio operates as a unified mobile and web platform serving as a community-driven food sharing and item exchange marketplace. The core Olio App connects users to share surplus food and household items for free, while the Food Waste Heroes Programme enables trained volunteers to collect surplus food from retail partners for redistribution. Supporting features include Borrow (peer-to-peer lending), Buy/Sell (pre-owned items marketplace), Reduced Food and Lucky Dip (discounted food discovery), Events (local event listings), and Goals (sustainability tips with affiliate links). The Volunteer Hub provides the web-based backend for Food Waste Heroes programme management, while the Partner Hub serves business donors. Olio Supporter is the premium subscription tier offering enhanced features. The platform serves over 9 million users across both consumer (At Home) and business (At Work) segments, integrating with major UK retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Pret, Iceland, Central Co-op, Asda, and Planet Organic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Olio App (Core Platform) The primary mobile and web application serving as a peer-to-peer marketplace for sharing surplus food and household items locally for free. Includes user profiles, location-based discovery, messaging, and access to platform features such as Borrow, Buy/Sell, Reduced Food, Events, and Goals.
• Food Waste Heroes Programme Volunteer programme enabling trained community members to collect surplus food from local businesses (retailers, caterers, events) 15 minutes before store closing and redistribute to neighbours via the Olio app. Volunteers keep some food as a thank-you and Olio takes primary food safety responsibility once food is handed to volunteers.
• Olio Supporter Premium paid subscription version of the Olio app offering enhanced map functionality and a special Supporter Profile. Available as monthly or annual subscriptions through iOS App Store and Google Play in-app purchases.
• Volunteer Hub Web-based portal at volunteers.olioex.com for Food Waste Heroes volunteers to manage collections, access training materials, coordinate with squad members, view schedules, and receive programme communications.
• Partner Hub Business-facing platform at olioapp.com/business for partner companies to manage food donations, coordinate collections, view reports, and access support for the Food Waste Heroes and Catering Collections programmes.
• Olio Shop Merchandise shop at olioshop.teemill.com selling Olio-branded products through Teemill, supporting the company's sustainability mission and providing promotional items for volunteers and supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9+ million Olio-ers worldwide sharing food and items
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TescocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTesco is a primary partner retailer in Olio's Food Waste Heroes programme. Trained volunteers collect surplus food from Tesco stores (Use by surplus in the evening, 15 minutes before store closing). Tesco donates surplus food; Olio manages the volunteer collection logistics and redistribution to the community.
• Sainsbury'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSainsbury's has a new surplus food partnership powered by Olio and FareShare, rolling out from March 2026 across all stores. Food Waste Heroes collect Use by surplus in evenings; charities collect Best before surplus during daytime (12:00–17:30). All collections managed through the Olio app.
• Pret a MangercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPret a Manger participates as a food donor in Olio's Food Waste Heroes programme. Allergen information for Pret products is hosted on Olio's allergen page.
• Iceland FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIceland Foods is a partner retailer in Olio's Food Waste Heroes programme, donating surplus food for volunteer collection and community redistribution.
• ASDAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASDA is a partner retailer in Olio's Food Waste Heroes programme, donating surplus food for volunteer collection and community redistribution.
• Central Co-opcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral Co-op is a partner retailer donating surplus food through Olio's Food Waste Heroes programme. Allergen information is hosted on Olio's allergen page.
• Planet OrganiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanet Organic is a partner retailer donating surplus food through Olio's Food Waste Heroes programme. Allergen information is hosted on Olio's allergen page.
• Costa CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCosta Coffee participates as a food donor in Olio's Food Waste Heroes programme. Allergen information for Costa Coffee products is hosted on Olio's allergen page.
• FareSharecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFareShare is Olio's charity partner for Sainsbury's surplus food redistribution. Olio and FareShare are working together on the new Sainsbury's partnership (rolling out March–April 2026). Charities onboarded by FareShare collect daytime surplus from Sainsbury's, managed through the Olio app. FareShare directs charities to Olio for the collection management system.
• Lidl UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLidl UK is running a trial partnership with Olio (Lidl x Olio Trial). Limited scope pilot to test surplus food collection from selected Lidl stores.
• Amazon AWScoreTechnology or IntegrationAmazon AWS is used as Olio's primary record of user data, logs, performance, and debugging infrastructure.
• Google (Firebase, BigQuery, AI services)coreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Firebase (including Crashlytics) for feature usage and acquisition channel reporting. Google BigQuery for data warehousing. Google AI services for AI-assisted content moderation and improved listing experience. Google Fire services for crash reporting.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Leanpath: Leanpath is a US-based food waste prevention platform serving foodservice operators with measurement, analytics, and reduction programs. It competes with Olio for enterprise food waste budgets and ESG reporting requirements, though with a prevention-focused rather than redistribution-focused approach.
• Winnow: Winnow provides AI-driven food waste tracking and analytics for commercial kitchens, helping professional kitchens measure and reduce waste. It overlaps with Olio's enterprise value proposition (helping businesses reduce food waste) but addresses a different stage of the waste lifecycle (prevention vs. redistribution).
• FareShare: FareShare is the UK's largest charity network for food redistribution, redirecting surplus food from the food industry to charities and community groups. It is both a charity partner of Olio (via the new Sainsbury's partnership) and an adjacent player addressing the same surplus food pool through a charity-led rather than consumer-app model.
• Lollipop (grocery discount app): Lollipop is a mobile app that aggregates grocery discounts and near-expiry food from supermarkets. It overlaps with Olio's Reduced Food and Lucky Dip offerings as an alternative consumer channel for discounted surplus food.
• Too Good To Go (food rescue / charity) — Neighbourly: Neighbourly is a UK platform connecting surplus food from retailers and manufacturers to charities and community groups. It competes with Olio for the enterprise surplus food donation stream, though it focuses on charity intermediaries rather than direct consumer redistribution.

Direct peers

• Too Good To Go: Too Good To Go operates a near-identical surplus-food marketplace model, connecting consumers with discounted surplus food from restaurants, bakeries, and supermarkets via a mobile app. It is Olio's most direct competitor globally, with a substantially larger user base and funding base, and overlapping retailer partnerships.
• Karma: Karma is a mobile marketplace that allows restaurants and stores to sell surplus food to nearby consumers at a discount. It directly competes with Olio's Reduced Food offering and Olio's Food Waste Heroes model, with comparable target customers (restaurants/retailers and cost-conscious consumers).
• Phenix: Phenix is a French food waste app that connects supermarkets, restaurants, and bakeries with consumers to sell surplus meals and produce at discounted prices. It mirrors Olio's discounted-surplus model and competes for the same European enterprise and consumer market.

Regional players

• City Harvest: City Harvest is a UK-based food redistribution charity that collects surplus food from retailers and redistributes it to charities. It competes for the same surplus food pool as Olio's Food Waste Heroes programme, with a charity-led model rather than a consumer app.

Others

• OLIO sister-brand / Nosh Technologies competitors: Nosh (formerly LeftoverSwap) is a US-based food-sharing app with a similar consumer model to Olio's free food-sharing marketplace, enabling neighbours to share surplus food. It represents a regional US competitor in the same free peer-to-peer food-sharing category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Olio_ex
• Facebookfacebook.com/olioapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/olio-share-more-waste-less
• Instagraminstagram.com/olio.app

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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