Tala x Too Good To Go
If you know me, you know that one of the things I care deeply about is taking care of our planet for the current and future generations as often as possible, in every facet of my life. At Tala, we’re always finding ways to think about waste in efficient ways that help us cut costs and emissions! The perfect opportunity to do just that and bring some of my passion to my work came when Too Good To Go approached us about joining their mission. The company, TGTG for short, was founded in Copenhagen in the year 2016 with the goal of fighting food waste from businesses. They now have over 120 million customers and 180,000 active business partners and have helped save over 500 million meals from being discarded, the equivalent of 1.3M tons of Carbon emissions. For us, it became an outlet to offer the food we no longer feel is fresh enough to sell at full price, but is absolutely good enough to fill a tummy!
Some weeks see constant selling out of our sandwiches and a consistently empty fridge, but other weeks can be slower and generally unpredictable. While I could usually count on one of our Tala folks to find their way to the leftovers, I had always hoped there would be a way to get customers in on it too. TGTG has a super great feature where active businesses are able to nominate others around them to get the ball rolling on their involvement. And that’s exactly what happened for us! When we got an email regarding our interest, I was so grateful that the project was redirected to me. I am, after all, our resident tree hugger.
Setting up our page was beyond easy. The app is super user-friendly for both vendors and consumers, and the folks working are incredibly responsive and helpful. We started a trial at the Libertyville Cafe, since that is where I am based and am the most familiar with our food waste. We also have the privilege of serving both pastries and sandwiches, so it would be easiest to troubleshoot any and all issues here first. It started with me solely taking care of bagging waste and writing out instructions on each bag, which was unsurprisingly tedious. For a sustainable effort, that process would certainly be unsustainable long-term. We needed to create a system so simple that it would be silly not to use.
So if you ever get to grab a surprise Tala bag on the Too Good To Go app, you’ll receive a bag with the cutest handout and graphic designed by co-owner and lead designer, Keith, and a QR code taking you to a page on our website. That absolves us of having to write out each individual bag and instructions on how to reheat each item. I also feel it gives each participant a better sense of what we do as a company! Whether you’re a regular at Tala or a TGTG customer finding us back here, we wanted the experience to be elevated and easy. I would absolutely encourage you all to download the Too Good to Go app to try new spots, cut some costs, and maybe grab your favorite Tala food item for a discounted price!
Overall, I personally love that I get to be a part of a company that not only understands the importance of sustainability but also encourages me to lead the charge. There is so much good that comes out of being in a space that finds growth in individual passion. The more we all embrace the projects that help us feel like kinder, better community members, the stronger our community will be! Thanks for being a part of it, see you in the cafe!!
Mel Kreppein
Meet Mel, a Gurnee native with a passion for people, the planet, and coffee. When she’s not managing and crafting beautiful lattes at our Libertyville café, you can often find her going on walks and hanging out with her cat, Prudence.
