In the space of one year, Refreshi grew from 35 partner stores to 700 nationwide — and in the process, helped South African households save R12.5 million on groceries while keeping 200,000 meals out of landfill.

That's the headline finding from our first-ever Grocery Savings Impact Report, which looks at how selling quality surplus food at a discount — instead of throwing it away — is helping stretch household budgets while giving retailers a new revenue stream.

How it works

Through the Refreshi app, shoppers browse discounted Surprise Bags from grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants near them, pay securely online, and collect their bag during a scheduled window at the end of the day. Food that would otherwise have been thrown away instead ends up on someone's table, at a fraction of the original price.

A year of rapid growth

Since launching in Stellenbosch in March 2025, Refreshi has expanded to 700 participating stores across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha, George and Mossel Bay — growing by an average of 10 to 15 new stores every week. Partners now include Spar, Bootlegger, Vida e Caffè, King Pie, Château Gâteaux, Vovo Telo, Ou Meul, Newmark Hotels and OK Mini Marks, among many others.

The platform now serves more than 200,000 registered users, rescuing over 20,000 quality meals from landfill every month.

The environmental impact

Every Surprise Bag rescues an estimated one kilogram of food. Across the platform, that's added up to roughly 500,000 kilograms of CO₂ emissions avoided, 120 million litres of water conserved, and more than 400,000 square metres of agricultural land saved.

Why this matters

South Africa discards an estimated R61.5 billion worth of food every year, with around 10.3 million tonnes of edible food ending up in landfill. Organic waste now makes up more than half the country's general waste stream — adding pressure to municipal landfills while households battle rising grocery prices.

What's next

Refreshi expects to pass 2,000 participating stores within the next year, with an ambition to build one of South Africa's largest circular economy marketplaces. The opportunity internationally is significant — Italy, with a population similar to South Africa's, has nearly 29,000 stores on comparable surplus-food platforms, rescuing around 22 million meals a year.

Refreshi's consumer app is complemented by Refreshi Exchange, a separate B2B platform that helps manufacturers, distributors and retailers move surplus inventory efficiently before it reaches expiry — together aiming to build one of South Africa's largest circular economy marketplaces.

As South Africa works toward its commitment to halve food waste by 2030 in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, Refreshi believes the real shift will come from making food rescue a normal part of everyday shopping — not an occasional act of sustainability.