Thailand food rescue start-up Yindii has acquired Hong Kong’s Phenix by On the List, expanding the app’s operations to Hong Kong and effectively doubling the number of businesses that work with Yindii.
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According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), 40 percent of food produced worldwide goes uneaten and as a result, food waste contributes to 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions today, with over 50 percent of global food waste created in Asia.
Established in 2021, Phenix by OnTheList has connected consumers with surplus food from local businesses such as Pret a Manger, City’Super, and Cookie DPT, as well as hotels such as the Cordis Hong Kong.
Following the acquisition, the Phenix app will cease to be operational, to be integrated instead into the Yindii app. Phenix employees will also join the Yindii team.
“We are thrilled to join forces with the Hong Kong team,” said Louis-Alban Batard-Dupre, Yindii’s chief executive officer, in a statement. “Their commitment to reducing food waste aligns perfectly with our mission. Together we have saved more than 90,000 meals so far and we look forward to creating a more sustainable food system in Asia.”
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Yindii was founded in 2020 to connect customers with restaurants and businesses in their local area that have surplus and unsold food. Its partners in Thailand include Tops Market and Family Mart by Central Group, MX Bakery (ThaiBev), Hyatt, Hilton and S&P.