When Jonathan Rodrigue was distributing food baskets to poor families in his twenties, his vision for the future was to build a business that would fight food waste.
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“They were surplus [dont] Companies would do away with it, says Still Good's president and CEO. On the one hand, we fed needy families, but on the other hand, I saw immeasurable amounts being wasted. It didn't work in my head.
“My search for what I do today started there.”
While it took time for food waste to become part of the social and political discussion, Rodrigue continued to talk about it with those around him.
“Twenty years ago people didn’t talk about circular economy or waste. They didn't know, but there was no solution.
“I decided to develop a model by creating a word: ecovalorization.”
Turn a loss into a win
In collaboration with a company, Still Good collects all kinds of food in its factory, such as: B. brewing grains or loaves of bread. According to a set plan, the material is transformed into a new form before being returned to the company. The latter can reuse it when preparing their meals or reselling a new product.
“We come with a turnkey concept. It costs companies money to get rid of their food, in addition to the labor required to produce it, explains Jonathan Rodrigue.
“With our research and development team we are finding a solution for this. We bring a product to market that they can bring back to market. We help them convert costs into revenue.”
The entrepreneur's baby grows into a child who is strong on his feet. After saving 1,000 tons of food in 2023, Still Good is targeting a plateau of 5,000 tons in 2024.
“We are a catalyst that helps companies enter the circular economy […] to achieve their goals of sustainability, reducing their carbon footprint and food waste.”
A head full of projects
When we talk to him about the future of his company, we sense a certain excitement from the company boss, which is a well-kept secret at Le Plateau-Mont-Royal.
“We have just expanded our factory to be able to process 5,000 tons, but the next step is to be able to accommodate 50,000 tons if a company asks me,” wishes Rodrigue, who has customers in Quebec, Canada and the United States . -United States .
“I am already thinking about my next factory, where I could process between 100 and 150,000 tons per year. I think about it all the time.”
The other project he has in mind is establishing regional units across North America.
“Almost 58% of everything we produce is wasted. Our model can be implemented anywhere in the world to reduce this volume. It's what keeps me awake in the morning.
“I would like one day to be able to save millions of tonnes and say that a proud Quebec company is behind it.”
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