Fruta Feia, C.r.l.

What Fruta Feia, C.r.l. does

Fruta Feia, C.r.l. is a Portuguese consumer cooperative (Cooperativa de Responsabilidade Limitada) founded on November 18, 2013, and headquartered in Lisbon. It operates a subscription-based basket distribution service for cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables that have been rejected by conventional distribution channels due to aesthetic standards but remain edible and of quality. Two basket tiers are offered: a small basket at €4.30 containing 3-4 kg across 7 varieties, and a large basket at €8.60 containing 6-8 kg across 8 varieties, both delivered weekly. Consumers pay an annual €5 membership quota and collect baskets in cash at one of 21 designated delivery points (15 in the Lisbon metropolitan region, 6 in the Porto region), operating 18 distribution sessions per week. The cooperative sources from approximately 400 local farmers and serves roughly 13,000 associated consumers, preventing an estimated 32 tonnes of food waste weekly and over 8,387 tonnes cumulatively since launch.

The business model is non-profit and member-owned: possible surpluses are reinvested into project growth rather than distributed to shareholders. The GTM is community-led, with growth driven by word-of-mouth, organic social media, earned media coverage in Portuguese outlets (RTP1, CMTV), and the 'Gente Bonita' video series profiling farmers and consumers. No proprietary technology platform underpins the operation; logistics rely on manual basket assembly and volunteer support. Revenue streams include recurring basket sales, recurring annual membership quotas, and one-time branded merchandise sales (hoodies, t-shirts, caps, kitchen towels, children's coloring books) produced through partnerships with Portuguese ateliers such as Carapau Amarelo, Puranna Eco, Viseu Caps, ReUse, and MAGO Studio. Surplus produce is donated to charitable networks including CASA and Refood branches for redistribution to people experiencing homelessness. The cooperative has received multiple sustainability and innovation awards, including EU LIFE Programme co-financing (FLAW4LIFE, 2015-2018), Calouste Gulbenkian / COTEC recognition (2013), and the Fundação Moeve prize (2026).

Name

Fruta Feia, C.r.l.

Legal name

Fruta Feia C.R.L.

Website

https://www.frutafeia.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Weekly Basket Sales: Members pay weekly for pre-ordered baskets of fruits and vegetables. Two basket sizes are available: small (3-4kg, 7 varieties for €4.3) and large (6-8kg, 8 varieties for €8.6). Payment is made in cash upon basket collection at designated delivery points.
2. Annual Membership Quota: Consumers pay an annual administrative fee of €5 upon first basket collection. This quota grants membership status and includes a member card and a cloth Fruta Feia bag.
3. Merchandise Sales: The cooperative sells branded merchandise including hoodies (€25), t-shirts (€10), posters (€10), green caps (€15), bags (€4.50), kitchen towels (€3), and children's coloring books (€3.50). These are produced by local partners in Portugal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fruta Feia is a non-profit consumer cooperative that distributes weekly baskets of cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables sourced from approximately 400 local Portuguese farmers to 13,000+ associated members. Members pay an annual €5 administrative quota for membership and then order weekly baskets (small at €4.30 for 3-4kg / 7 varieties, or large at €8.60 for 6-8kg / 8 varieties) collected at 21 delivery points across Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas.

Product overview

Fruta Feia is a consumer cooperative that operates a subscription-based basket delivery service for 'ugly' fruits and vegetables. The core offering consists of two basket sizes (Small at €4.30 for 3-4kg with 7 varieties, and Large at €8.60 for 6-8kg with 8 varieties) distributed weekly at local delivery points. The cooperative supplements its main service with branded merchandise (apparel, home goods, and children's items), documentary-style video series profiling farmers and consumers, and educational workshops in schools. All products are sourced from local Portuguese farmers and distributed through a network of 21 delivery points across Lisbon and Porto regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cesta Pequena (Small Basket) Weekly basket containing 3-4kg of seasonal cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables with 7 varieties, priced at €4.30 per basket, paid in cash at pickup. Suitable for individuals or small households; contents vary weekly based on seasonal availability and farmer supply.
• Cesta Grande (Large Basket) Weekly basket containing 6-8kg of seasonal cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables with 8 varieties, priced at €8.60 per basket, paid in cash at pickup. Suitable for families or groups; contents vary weekly based on seasonal availability and farmer supply.
• Fruta Feia Branded Merchandise Branded merchandise including hoodies (€25), t-shirts (€10), limited-edition screen-printed posters (€10), green caps (€15), bags (€4.50), kitchen towels (€3), and children's coloring books (€3.50). Available at delivery points and via CTT postal delivery with online payment.
• Annual Cooperative Membership Quota Annual administrative quota of €5 paid upon first basket collection that grants membership status and includes a member card and a cloth Fruta Feia bag. Required for consumers to participate in the weekly basket program.
• School Workshops on Food Waste Educational workshops on food waste and sustainable consumption for children in grades 1-3 of basic education, adapted by school year level, with a maximum of 30 students per workshop. Requested via the cooperative's contact page.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,464 tonnes CO2 equivalent emissions avoided
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trienal de Arquitectura de LisboacoreOthersProvides space for weekly basket distribution (Wednesdays, 17h-20h30) at the Trienal building in Campo de Santa Clara, Lisbon. This is a key delivery point in Lisbon.
• Centro Comercial de CedofeitacoreOthersProvides space for weekly basket distribution (Wednesdays) at the shopping center in Porto. Essential delivery point in Porto.
• Sociedade Musical 3 d'Agosto de 1885 - MarvilacoreOthersProvides space for weekly basket distribution (Wednesdays) at their community space in Marvila, Lisbon.
• CASA - Centro de Apoio ao Sem AbrigominorOthersReceives donations of leftover baskets from Fruta Feia, redistributing food to people experiencing homelessness.
• Refood (Multiple Nuclei)minorOthersNetwork of Refood branches (Alvalade, Falagueira/Venda Nova, Almada, Santo António, Cascais CPR, Senhora da Hora, Gaia) receive leftover baskets for redistribution to those in need.
• Carapau AmarelocoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLisbon-based screen printing workshop that produces Fruta Feia merchandise including posters (limited edition of 250, printed manually in 3 colors) and prints on kitchen towels and bags. Key creative partner for merchandise.
• Puranna EcocoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMatosinhos-based textile atelier that creates kitchen towels from textile waste that would otherwise be discarded. These are then screen-printed by Carapau Amarelo. Represents sustainable production and women's employment integration.
• Viseu CapscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPortuguese family-owned cap factory in Porto that produces Fruta Feia branded caps embroidered with the logo and 10-year anniversary commemorative design.
• ReUse by Ajuda de MãecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSantarém-based atelier that employs mothers in unemployment situations to create bags from leftover bed linens. Supports social integration through creative sewing of textile waste.
• MAGO StudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLisbon-based risograph printing studio that produces the limited edition children's coloring book (284 units) with illustrations and stickers.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Misfits Market: US subscription-based retailer delivering boxes of cosmetically imperfect and surplus produce at discounted prices. Operates a nearly identical model to Fruta Feia: sourcing produce rejected by conventional grocery channels and delivering via recurring subscription to sustainability-minded consumers.
• Imperfect Foods: US direct-to-consumer subscription service for cosmetically imperfect produce and pantry staples. Shares Fruta Feia's mission of reducing food waste driven by aesthetic standards and the basket-subscription distribution model, though at significantly larger scale.
• Hungry Harvest: US weekly subscription service delivering boxes of 'recovered' produce that would otherwise go to waste. Directly comparable to Fruta Feia in mission, basket format, and target consumer segment, though operating via home delivery rather than pickup points.
• Too Good To Go: European marketplace app connecting consumers with surplus food from restaurants, bakeries, and retailers to prevent waste. Operates a different model (marketplace of surplus rather than cooperative basket subscription) but shares Fruta Feia's anti-food-waste mission and overlapping consumer base.
• OLIO: UK-based food-sharing platform that connects neighbors and local businesses to redistribute surplus food. While the operating model is app-based peer-to-peer sharing rather than cooperative subscription, OLIO shares Fruta Feia's food-waste reduction mission and B2C/B2B engagement model.
• Refood: Portuguese non-profit organization that recovers surplus cooked food from restaurants and distributes to those in need. Refood actually partners with Fruta Feia to receive leftover baskets, indicating direct operational overlap in the Portuguese food-waste ecosystem, though Refood's model focuses on cooked-meal redistribution rather than produce.

Regional players

• Phenix (We Are Phenix): French surplus food platform connecting retailers with consumers and charities via digital marketplace. Operates primarily in France and parts of Europe rather than Iberia, but shares Fruta Feia's mission of monetizing edible surplus that conventional retailers would discard.

Broad incumbents

• Carrefour (Anti-Gaspi / Inglorious initiative): Major French retailer's branded ugly-produce line selling cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables at discounted prices in-store. Shares Fruta Feia's food-waste mission but operates within a large retailer's existing infrastructure, posing a competitive threat through convenience and scale.
• Lidl (Too Good to Waste / Imperfect lines): Discount grocer's branded lines selling cosmetically imperfect produce at lower prices across European stores. Comparable to Fruta Feia's anti-food-waste mission but distributed through mainstream supermarket channels rather than subscription baskets, with superior payment convenience and geographic reach.

Others

• FLAW4LIFE: EU LIFE Programme co-financed project (2015-2018) focused on food waste prevention and awareness-raising, in which Fruta Feia was a partner organization. Not a commercial competitor but an ecosystem participant that supported Fruta Feia's early development through public funding and shared anti-food-waste policy advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/frutafeia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbwsr9UIfRVQ7W5dvSiwD3A
• Facebookfacebook.com/FrutaFeia
• Instagraminstagram.com/frutafeia

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 Fruta Feia, C.r.l.