Proyecto Plato Lleno

What Proyecto Plato Lleno does

Proyecto Plato Lleno is an Argentine non-profit civil association (Asociación Civil, CUIT 30-71492788-0) that operates a food-rescue logistics chain, collecting surplus food from corporate donors and delivering it free of charge to community dining halls serving vulnerable populations. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Buenos Aires, the organization pre-screens and maintains a network of more than 400 community kitchens and operates pickup-and-delivery routes with a refrigerated van as its primary capital asset.

The organization runs four programs: Programa Rescates (a tiered service, S/M/L/XL, calibrated to corporate donor size), Apoyo a Receptores (capacity support for recipient dining halls), Voluntariado Corporativo (corporate volunteering days), and Charlas de Concientización (awareness talks). The technology stack is deliberately minimal, relying on Google Forms for donor and recipient intake and WhatsApp for daily coordination. The model is replicated through cross-border partnerships: Red Plato Lleno formally links the Argentine operation with Brazil's Prato Cheio and Costa Rica's Alimentalistas, and the organization has opened chapters in Bolivia (Santa Cruz de la Sierra) and Uruguay (Montevideo).

Revenue is generated exclusively through voluntary contributions, principally a corporate 'bono de contribución,' supplemented by individual donations and in-kind corporate volunteering hours. The organization is small (8 employees) and relies heavily on volunteer labor. In 2019 it participated in Argentine Senate advocacy to reinstate Article 9 of Law 25.989, the legal framework governing in-kind food donations, signaling an intent to shape the regulatory environment around its core activity.

Name

Proyecto Plato Lleno

Legal name

Asociación Civil Proyecto Plato Lleno

Website

https://platolleno.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Argentine non-profit food-rescue organization that collects surplus corporate food and delivers it free of charge to 400+ pre-screened community dining halls across Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay, funded by voluntary corporate contributions and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Rescue and Redistribution Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Safety Nets (In-Kind, Vouchers, Cash Transfers) (BPADAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Surplus food redistribution
• Community meal programs
• Food waste reduction
• Food donation logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Buenos Aires

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Bono de contribución (company contribution fee): Companies and businesses requesting food rescues contribute a voluntary monetary 'bono de contribución' to cover logistics costs (fuel, materials, volunteer coordination). This is not a mandatory fee but a contribution model that sustains operations.
2. Individual donations: Individual donors contribute money via the donaronline.org platform, bank transfer (Banco Credicoop), or MercadoPago. These donations fund rescue kits, disposable materials, fuel, and administrative expenses.
3. Corporate volunteering and sponsorship contributions: Companies perform corporate volunteering (improving dining hall infrastructure, participating in rescue operations) and may provide financial contributions as part of their CSR programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Proyecto Plato Lleno rescues surplus food in good condition from businesses (event caterers, food manufacturers, supermarkets, corporate dining) and delivers it free of charge to a network of over 400 pre-screened community dining halls, soup kitchens, and homes across Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay. The core offering is the Programa Rescates organized in four volume tiers (S self-managed under 20 kg, M 20+ kg with rescue kits, L for factories/corporate dining with scheduled calendars, and XL for 1,000+ kg from supermarkets and agricultural producers).

Product overview

Proyecto Plato Lleno operates as a network of food awareness and rescue programs across Latin America. The core offering is the Programa Rescates (Rescue Program) with four service tiers (S, M, L, XL) sized by food volume, supported by infrastructure improvement through Programa Apoyo a Receptores, corporate volunteering through Voluntariado Corporativo, and educational outreach via Charlas de Concientización. The organization connects food donors with community kitchens through a logistics service that includes volunteer coordination, food safety protocols, and traceability reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Programa Rescates (Food Rescue Program) Core offering coordinating the rescue of surplus food in perfect condition from businesses and events, delivering it free of charge to community kitchens, soup kitchens, and homes. Includes four service tiers: Rescates S (self-managed, under 20 kg, with decalogue and nearest collection point), Rescates M (20+ kg with expert volunteer rescuers and rescue kits including plastic trays, film, caps, masks, gloves, and aprons), Rescates L (factories and corporate dining facilities with regular surpluses, planned with monthly calendars, fixed rescuers, and fixed delivery locations), and Rescates XL (large-scale rescues over 1,000 kg for supermarkets and agricultural producers with coordinated reception, assignment, and distribution within a maximum 48-hour delivery window).
• Programa Apoyo a Receptores (Recipient Support Program) Support program dedicated to improving infrastructure at community kitchens, soup kitchens, and homes, and providing free workshops and courses so recipients have more tools and learn new ways to utilize rescued food.
• Voluntariado Corporativo (Corporate Volunteering) Corporate volunteer program where companies committed to food respect and combating waste dedicate time and resources to community service activities, including improving dining hall infrastructure and participating in rescue operations.
• Charlas de Concientización (Awareness Talks) Awareness talks delivered in universities and companies by Plato Lleno coordinators along with guests from businesses, kitchen managers, volunteers, and specialists on topics related to food waste, environmental impact, and responsible food practices.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• Red Plato Lleno (Plato Lleno Network)flagshipOthersA network of autonomous but aligned Plato Lleno chapters operating across Latin America. Each chapter operates independently under the same mission and principles — rescuing surplus food and delivering it free to community dining halls. Currently active in Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Neuquén), Bolivia (Santa Cruz de la Sierra), Uruguay (Montevideo), and connected to organizations in Brazil (Prato Cheio) and Costa Rica (Alimentalistas).
• Prato Cheio (Brazil)minorOthersBrazilian equivalent organization operating under the same food rescue model. Referenced as a peer network on the Entrevistas page. Plato Lleno and Prato Cheio share the same mission and methodology across Latin American markets.
• Alimentalistas (Costa Rica)minorOthersCosta Rican partner organization. Alimentalistas operates with its own website (alimentalistas.org), social media, and annual report for 2017-2018, following a similar food rescue model.
• Eventrid (Bolivia)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent ticketing and donation platform used in Bolivia for collecting monetary donations. The Eventrid page at eventrid.bo/eventos/platollenobolivia/donacion allows donors to contribute to Plato Lleno Bolivia.
• Fundación Mamás Solidarias (Argentina)minorOthersPartner foundation collaborating with the Morteros chapter in Córdoba, Argentina. Their Facebook and Instagram accounts are cross-referenced on the Morteros page, suggesting joint programming or operational support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Too Good To Go: Commercial app-based marketplace connecting consumers with surplus food from restaurants and retailers across Europe and North America. Represents a tech-enabled, commercially monetized approach to food waste that contrasts with Plato Lleno's volunteer-led donation model but addresses the same underlying surplus problem.
• FoodCloud: Tech-enabled food redistribution platform connecting retail food donors with charities in Ireland and the UK. Comparable as a modern, technology-forward evolution of Plato Lleno's volunteer-coordinated food rescue model, demonstrating the path from manual coordination to platform-enabled scaling.
• Food Recovery Network: U.S.-based student-led network recovering surplus food from college dining halls and donating to community organizations. Comparable in volunteer-coordinated food rescue model but with a more narrowly defined donor base and regional scope than Plato Lleno.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: Largest U.S. hunger-relief organization operating a national network of food banks that rescue surplus food and distribute it to community organizations. A broad incumbent in the food rescue space, much larger in scale than Plato Lleno but operating the same fundamental surplus-to-community-kitchen redistribution model.
• Second Harvest (Canada): Canada's largest food rescue organization with technology-enabled logistics for collecting and redistributing surplus food. Comparable as an established food rescue nonprofit with structured programs, corporate partnerships, and impact reporting analogous to Plato Lleno's tiered rescue model.
• Global FoodBanking Network: International food bank support organization that supports food banks in over 40 countries, including in Latin America. Comparable as a global food rescue ecosystem actor addressing the same surplus-to-community redistribution challenge Plato Lleno serves in the LATAM region.

Others

• ReFED: U.S.-based nonprofit think tank focused on food waste reduction policy, data, and solution advocacy. Comparable as a non-operating peer working on the broader food waste ecosystem that Plato Lleno addresses, with overlapping policy advocacy work on donor protections and food waste reduction targets.

Direct peers

• Red de Bancos de Alimentos (Red BA): Regional Latin American food bank network that aggregates and redistributes donated food to community organizations. Operates a comparable food rescue and redistribution model across multiple LATAM countries, serving similar community dining hall beneficiaries as Plato Lleno.
• Prato Cheio: Brazilian food rescue nonprofit operating under the same mission and methodology as Plato Lleno, rescuing surplus food from the production and commercial chain and delivering it free to community kitchens. Explicitly referenced as a peer network affiliate within Red Plato Lleno's LATAM ecosystem.
• Alimentalistas: Costa Rican food rescue organization following the same model as Plato Lleno, with its own website, social media presence, and published annual reports (2017-2018). Listed as an affiliate chapter within the Red Plato Lleno network across Latin America.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/platolleno
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0Gj6c-LVOl7elbn4MbX1ww
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProyectoPlatoLleno
• Instagraminstagram.com/proyectoplatolleno
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/proyecto-plato-lleno

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 Proyecto Plato Lleno