Food waste company aims for €6.5m in end-of-year revenue

Five years after its initial launch, Talkual, a company from the central Catalonia town of Bellpuig, in the Urgell county, continues to grow. The firm, which gives a second chance to products rejected by large retailers for aesthetic reasons, is expected to reach €6.5 million in revenue by the end of this year, compared to the €4.8 million they made last year. 

Their employee base has also expanded. What started with just two founders, Oriol Adòma and  Marc Ibós, is now home to 45 employees. They dispatch 5,000 boxes per week through a subscription-box model, and have recently added jams, tomato sauces, and vegetable creams to their roster. Currently, there are 8,500 customers who receive food packages delivered to their door, either weekly or biweekly. 

“These have been five very intense years,” Adòma told Catalan News Agency (ACN). “The idea really clicked, and people like the concept of rescuing fruit that doesn’t fit the market due to aesthetic reasons.”

He also stated that they estimate to have helped give a second life to more than 4 million kilos of fruit and vegetables over these years.

Talkual has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. They plan to include preserves with damaged labels, discolored batches of honey, or even trimmings of nougat in their “fight against food waste.” This phase will be implemented at the end of summer, and the products will be available for purchase outside of the subscription model. 

At the end of the year, they plan for another phase that will allow the option to add these products to their subscription boxes. 

“The idea is to add more products and have boxes that are 100% personalized,” said Ibós.

Talkual is working on entering into new markets, and will be entering Portugal at the end of 2025. Shipments will be made from the company’s headquarters in Bellpuig.

They are also interested in exploring the French market, with the plan to bring their model to local producers. According to Ibós, the company has invested significant efforts into designing the technology and processes needed to “replicate” their model in other countries.