Banco de alimentos quito

What Banco de alimentos quito does

Banco de Alimentos Quito (BAQ) is a private nonprofit food bank founded in 2003 and headquartered in Quito, Ecuador, dedicated to rescuing edible surplus food and redistributing it to vulnerable populations including families experiencing food insecurity, children under five suffering from chronic malnutrition (which affects 23% of this age group in Ecuador), elderly persons, pregnant mothers, and persons with disabilities. The organization operates a core physical operation of food collection, classification, and distribution through a network of charitable organizations and social canteens across 12 zones in Quito, supplemented by three strategic warehouses with 500 tonnes of emergency storage capacity, a network of 500+ volunteers, and emergency response infrastructure capable of serving 10,000 beneficiaries simultaneously.

BAQ's technical stack is unusually developed for a 12-person nonprofit and centers on the internally built Sistema de Gestión de Donaciones (SGD), which uses AI algorithms for route optimization and demand prediction, IoT sensors in warehouses for temperature and humidity monitoring, a mobile volunteer app with gamification, an online donation platform supporting one-time and recurring gifts, and a blockchain layer for donation traceability. Sub-programs include the REAGRO agricultural rescue program (launched 2021, 52 active agricultural donors, 1,435,000 kg rescued since inception), an emergency response system with 24-hour local and 48-hour regional deployment, a child nutrition program, and an environmental sustainability program covering composting, biogas, and urban gardens.

BAQ is funded entirely through donations, with no product or service revenue. Monetary flows come from individual donors via the online platform at $2/$10/$30/$50 USD tiers ($150,000 raised from 5,000 active donors in 2024), in-kind food donations from supermarkets, producers, and restaurants, and CSR partnerships and humanitarian grants from corporate partners (Banco Pichincha, Academia Cotopaxi) and international institutions (USAID, EU/ECHO, UN/OCHA, Cruz Roja Ecuatoriana). The organization is affiliated with the Global Food Banking Network and partners with Escuela Politécnica Nacional on research.

Name

Banco de alimentos quito

Legal name

Banco de Alimentos Quito

Website

https://baq.ec

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Banco de Alimentos Quito is a nonprofit food bank in Quito, Ecuador that rescues surplus food from supermarkets, producers, and farms and redistributes it to vulnerable families, malnourished children, the elderly, and pregnant mothers across 12 zones, operating since 2003 with three warehouses and 500+ volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support (BPAGAAAJ)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Hunger relief programs
• Food bank distribution
• Food donation logistics
• Humanitarian emergency response

Headquarters

HQ city

Quito

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Monetary Donations: One-time and recurring monthly donations from individual donors in fixed amounts ($2, $10, $30, $50 USD). Online donation platform processes contributions with full transparency reporting to donors.
2. Corporate Food Donations: Food donations from supermarkets, producers, restaurants, and agricultural companies. The organization receives surplus food products that are redistributed to beneficiaries, reducing operational food acquisition costs.
3. Corporate Social Responsibility Partnerships: Partnerships with companies providing both food donations and financial support in exchange for social responsibility benefits, visibility, and employee engagement opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Banco de Alimentos Quito is a nonprofit food bank that rescues food suitable for consumption from supermarkets, agricultural producers, exporters, and restaurants, then classifies, warehouses, and redistributes it to vulnerable populations in Quito, Ecuador through a network of charitable organizations, social canteens, and community distribution points. The organization operates a certified traceability system alongside a proprietary digital platform (SGD) that manages donations, optimizes distribution routes using AI, predicts demand, and provides blockchain-based transparency to donors.

Product overview

Banco de Alimentos Quito operates a unified food bank system centered on rescuing surplus food and distributing it to vulnerable populations. The core operation combines physical food collection/classification and charitable distribution with digital platforms — an internally developed Sistema de Gestión de Donaciones (SGD) that handles AI-optimized routing, demand prediction, and automatic reporting. Supporting the core are sub-products: an online donation platform, a volunteer management mobile app, an emergency response system, an environmental sustainability program, the REAGRO agricultural recovery program, a child nutrition program, and physical collection centers. All components feed into the central mission of food rescue with traceability, though they are best understood as programs within a single integrated food bank operation rather than independent product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REAGRO: Agricultural food rescue program of Banco de Alimentos Quito, launched in 2021, that recovers fresh produce from farms, exporters, and agricultural centers and distributes it to vulnerable populations in Quito and surrounding areas.

Products and services

• Recolección y Clasificación de Alimentos (Food Collection and Classification) Core food bank operation that rescues food suitable for consumption from supermarkets, farmers, and businesses, classifying it carefully in warehouses for distribution to vulnerable populations.
• Distribución a Organizaciones Benéficas (Distribution to Charitable Organizations) Food distribution service that delivers rescued food to a network of charitable organizations, social dining halls, and vulnerable communities across Quito with certified traceability.
• REAGRO (Agricultural Recovery Program) Agricultural recovery program acting as a solidarity bridge between farms and vulnerable people, rescuing fresh food from farms, exporters, and agricultural centers since 2021 and distributing it with dignity and training.
• Programa de Nutrición Infantil (Child Nutrition Program) Child nutrition program distributing nutritious food (fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy), providing nutrition education for families, and monitoring child growth development, targeting the 23% of children under 5 with chronic malnutrition in Ecuador.
• App Móvil para Voluntarios (Mobile Volunteer App) Mobile application for volunteer management featuring automatic hour registration, notifications for new opportunities, internal chat for coordination, and gamification to maintain engagement. 2,500+ volunteers registered.
• Plataforma de Donaciones Online (Online Donation Platform) Digital donation platform enabling one-time and recurring monetary donations ($2, $10, $30, $50 USD or custom amounts) with transparency reporting, digital donation certificates, and integration with multiple payment gateways.
• Sistema de Respuesta a Emergencias (Emergency Response System) Rapid emergency response system with 24-hour local and 48-hour regional response capability, 3 strategic warehouses (500-ton capacity), 200 trained emergency volunteers, and 5 equipped trucks for crisis food distribution. Capacity for 10,000 simultaneous beneficiaries.
• Programa de Sostenibilidad Ambiental (Environmental Sustainability Program) Environmental sustainability program featuring food rescue (1,435,000 kg since 2021), composting and biogas production, 15 community urban gardens, and corporate sustainability certification partnerships with supermarkets and restaurants. 3,200 tonnes CO2 avoided and 2.8 million liters water saved in 2024.
• Centros de Acopio (Food Donation Collection Centers) Collection centers accepting food donations (fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meat, canned goods, bakery items) from the public, with a coordination form for scheduling donations.
• Sistema de Gestión de Donaciones (SGD) (Donation Management System) Internally developed donation management system enabling real-time tracking of donations from origin to final beneficiary, AI-based route optimization, demand prediction based on historical data, automatic impact reporting, and blockchain transparency for donor trust.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rescued 1,435,000 kg of food since 2021, equivalent to feeding 90,000+ people with fresh food
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Global Food Banking Network (GFN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAQ is affiliated with the Global Food Banking Network, an international organization supporting food banks worldwide. This partnership provides access to best practices, global standards, and network resources for food banking operations.
• Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with Ecuador's leading technical university for research, student engagement, and knowledge development in food security and logistics.
• Diálogos VitalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization collaborating on dialogue and awareness initiatives related to food security and social responsibility.
• Banco PichinchacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor Ecuadorian bank participating in REAGRO program through volunteer involvement and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Bank employees participate in weekly harvests and agricultural support activities.
• Academia CotopaxicoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational School of Quito participating in REAGRO program through student and faculty volunteer engagement in agricultural recovery and community outreach activities.
• Cruz Roja Ecuatoriana (Ecuadorian Red Cross)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational humanitarian organization coordination for emergency response operations. Cruz Roja participates in BAQ's emergency coordination protocols and joint response activities.
• Naciones Unidas / OCHAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs coordination for international emergency response protocols and resource mobilization.
• USAIDcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUnited States Agency for International Development providing support for humanitarian operations and emergency response capacity building in Ecuador.
• Unión Europea / ECHOcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations providing funding and technical support for emergency response capacity and food security programs.
• Supermarkets (Local partners)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal supermarkets implementing 'Última Oportunidad' (Last Chance) program for products near expiration, plus daily fresh food donations and staff training in waste management.
• Agricultural ProducerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAgricultural producers participating in REAGRO program to rescue harvest surpluses, receive conservation technique training, and access direct markets for second-quality produce.
• Restaurants (Local partners)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal restaurants participating in 'Cero Desperdicio' (Zero Waste) program for prepared food donations, waste management training, and sustainability certification.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Olio: Food-sharing app enabling peer-to-peer redistribution of surplus food, with a growing B2B arm for retailers. Adjacent food-rescue technology platform with comparable use of mobile/AI tooling.
• Too Good To Go: Commercial marketplace app connecting consumers to surplus food from restaurants and stores to reduce waste. Adjacent food-waste mission but commercial/consumer-facing model rather than nonprofit redistribution.
• FoodCloud: Ireland-based tech-enabled food redistribution platform connecting retailers to charities. Comparable food-rescue mission with stronger technology-product orientation than traditional food banks.

Direct peers

• Feeding America: Largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, operating a nationwide network of 200+ food banks that rescue surplus food and distribute to vulnerable populations. Closest direct functional peer despite US scale and regulatory differences.
• Foodbank Australia: Australia's largest food relief organization; rescues surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, and retailers for redistribution to charities. Direct food-bank peer with similar supermarket/agricultural donor partnerships.
• Second Harvest (Canada): Canada's largest food rescue organization, redistributing surplus food to charities and food programs. Closely comparable food-rescue operating model with strong logistics and traceability systems.
• Banco de Alimentos de México (BAMX): Largest food bank network in Mexico and Latin America; operates the same model of rescuing surplus food from supermarkets, producers, and farms for redistribution to vulnerable populations. Highly comparable geography and operating model, though at much larger scale.
• Banco de Alimentos de Bogotá (Colombia): Colombian food bank operating the same surplus-food rescue and redistribution model targeting food-insecure populations. Direct Andean/Latin American comparable with overlapping donor and beneficiary segments.

Others

• The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN): International alliance of food banks; BAQ is an explicit GFN member. GFN is not a competitor but an ecosystem enabler that provides standards, training, and donor introductions to member food banks globally.

Regional players

• Fundación Banco de Alimentos Ecuador (other Ecuadorian food banks): Ecuadorian food bank peers operating in other cities such as Guayaquil; directly comparable in geography, regulatory environment, and donor/supply pool, and compete for the same international humanitarian funding in Ecuador.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/baqalimentosquito
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bancoalimentosquito
• Instagraminstagram.com/bancoalimentosquito?utm_source=qr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Banco de alimentos quito