Winnow: Sustainopreneurs Built A Multi-Million-Dollar Worth Business, Focused On Reducing Food Waste

Sustainability-Driven Entrepreneurs

Driven by the passion for sustainability, the Sustainopreneurs — Marc Zornes and Kevin Duffy — turned their passion into a multi-million-dollar worth business named Winnow, aiming to address the global challenge of fighting food waste.

Meet the visionary leaders behind Winnow, redefining food waste management through innovation. Founder and CEO Marc Zornes, a former McKinsey consultant, specialized in consumer and sustainability practices. Founder Kevin Duffy brings deep expertise in finance, strategy, and growth management, shaping startups across multiple industries. Together, they are driving innovation in food waste reduction.

What started with a frustrating experience turned it into an opportunity, starting a new chapter to bridge a crucial gap.

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Why Winnow?

While at McKinsey, Marc played a key role in co-authoring the McKinsey Global Institute report on the Resource Revolution. During this extensive research, he encountered a shocking revelation: food waste is a massive global issue that had not been fully recognized or prioritized in discussions on resource efficiency. This discovery sparked a deeper interest in the food supply chain, which proved a complex challenge, as no one had previously consolidated all the research on the topic.

Marc and Kevin had always been driven by a desire to pursue ventures that could create significant, positive change. As they delved further into the food waste problem, they learned that around one-third of all food grown is wasted often due to inefficiencies in commercial kitchens. The scale of this waste, valued at approximately $750 billion per year, highlighted the vast resources being squandered. This waste not only contributes to environmental issues but also results in significant financial losses.  

With a shared vision, Marc and Kevin teamed up to tackle food waste together for the next decade, helping chefs run more profitable and sustainable kitchens by reducing food waste.

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Concept To Reality

The plan was set, but turning the concept into reality was not a cup of it. Working around the clock, brainstorming day and night, Initial challenges, and a little fear about the decision.

However, taking a leap of faith, Marc and Kevin aligned their entrepreneurial spirit with purpose and aimed at addressing the trillion-dollar problem of food waste worldwide by building the most chef-friendly scalable solution to address food waste in the market.

Finally, in 2013, Winnow was founded to address the massive food waste problem in the food service industry. Winnow's goal is to provide tech solutions that help businesses track, reduce, and optimize food waste, ultimately saving money and resources while contributing to sustainability. The idea was driven by the need for data-driven insights to tackle this problem effectively, which had not been properly addressed before.

Saving $175M in Food Waste, Preventing 36M Meals Annually 

Visionary leaders' efforts span the globe, with operations in over 60 countries and services available in more than 20 languages. They've collaborated with prestigious clients such as ISS, Company Group, Iberostar, Hilton, and Accor Hotels. Over the past decade, they've successfully prevented $175 million worth of food waste, which is equivalent to 217,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions worldwide.

Annually, they prevent 36 million meals from being thrown away—equating to one meal saved every second. Beyond their corporate partnerships, they have also worked alongside governments to help drive national initiatives focused on reducing food waste, showcasing their expertise on major international platforms.

What makes their story truly inspiring is that, instead of overlooking the problem, they both pursued a solution and ultimately founded a multi-million-dollar business.