Food Donation Connection: Profitably Scaling Food Waste Reduction

Description

Food Donation Connection is a for-profit company that creates sustainable value — value for both shareholders/owners and stakeholders — by facilitating the redistribution of surplus prepared food from donor corporations, such as restaurants, convenience stores and grocery stores, to charities that distribute the food to people in need. In fulfilling its mission of “Let nothing be wasted,” the company addresses the extensive food waste at the retail and wholesale stages of the food supply chain, a key pressure point in global food waste. Food Donation Connection has operated successfully for more than 20 years in the United States; however, the founder and chief executive officer is now considering the company’s future. He must determine whether and how to expand the company’s services globally.

Learning Objective

This case is intended for graduate, advanced undergraduate or executive education courses in corporate strategy, marketing, public policy or sustainability. The case illustrates mainstream business concepts in the context of a company whose mission and function address a global sustainability challenge. The learning objectives include the following: ·To provide an opportunity to engage in strategic planning and decision-making in the context of leading a company that seeks to do well by doing good. ·To demonstrate the utility and limits of frameworks such as Porter's Five Forces and Economic Value to the Customer for making business decisions on sustainability and social equity. ·To frame the severity of the impacts of global food waste as a challenge for business.

Keywords

Food waste Growth strategies International Expansion Sustainability