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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
Direct-to-consumer subscription service delivering imperfect produce and groceries to consumers, focused on food waste reduction.
Imperfect Foods, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, operates a direct-to-consumer subscription service delivering cosmetically imperfect produce and other grocery items, thereby diverting food that would otherwise be wasted. The company sources produce that fails aesthetic standards for retail, contributing to food waste reduction at its source. By 2018, Imperfect Foods had expanded its operations to 15 cities, having diverted over 40 million pounds of produce from waste within its first three years of operation. In 2018 alone, the service recovered more than 25 million pounds of produce and donated 1.5 million pounds to various organizations. The organization was founded in 2015 by Ben Simon, who also co-founded the Food Recovery Network, and Ben Chesler. Its business model centers on direct-to-consumer subscription boxes of imperfect produce and groceries, sold at lower prices to customers who sign up for regular deliveries.
Imperfect Foods has raised $223.0M across 5 funding rounds.
Imperfect Foods has raised $223.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Imperfect Foods is a mission-driven grocery delivery company that reduces food waste by sourcing and delivering "imperfect" produce, surplus groceries, pantry staples, meat, and dairy directly to consumers' doorsteps at up to 30% discounts compared to grocery stores.[1][3] It serves budget-conscious customers seeking sustainable, affordable, healthy food options while solving the problem of cosmetic imperfections and surplus causing 20% of U.S. produce to go to waste, having rescued over 172.5 million pounds of food and avoided 50,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.[1][2][7] As a Certified B Corp, it prioritizes environmental impact, transparency, and social good, with goals like net-zero carbon by 2030.[2]
Imperfect Foods was founded in 2015 amid recognition that one-third of U.S. food goes uneaten, primarily due to aesthetic standards rejecting "ugly" produce—about 20% never leaving farms.[1][2][3] The idea emerged from a passion to challenge superficial judgments on food appearance, connecting directly with farmers to rescue surplus and imperfect items that would otherwise become waste, animal feed, or landfill fodder.[1][6] Early traction built through partnerships with hundreds of growers, piloting sustainable practices, and expanding delivery, evolving into a B Corp in a commitment to systemic change in the food supply chain.[2]
Imperfect Foods rides the wave of sustainability tech and circular economy trends, leveraging logistics platforms and data analytics to redesign food supply chains amid climate urgency and rising consumer demand for ethical shopping.[2][4] Timing aligns with post-2020 awareness of food waste's role in emissions (e.g., 145+ million pounds rescued), amplified by COVID-19 exposing vulnerabilities and spurring grants for food access.[2][5] Market forces like farm overproduction, aesthetic biases in retail, and e-grocery growth (projected to expand) favor its model, influencing ecosystems by partnering with mid/large farms, amplifying small producers, and pushing B Corp standards across grocery delivery rivals.[1][6]
Imperfect Foods is poised to scale its "win-win-win" model—environment, customers, farmers—through reusable packaging pilots, deeper regional sourcing, and AI-enhanced curation for retention.[5][6] Trends like regulatory pressures on waste/emissions, urban food insecurity, and premium sustainable branding will propel growth, potentially evolving it into a supply-chain leader influencing policy and competitors toward zero-waste norms. This builds on its core belief: imperfections fuel abundance, redefining grocery tech for planetary good.[1]
Imperfect Foods has raised $223.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Imperfect Foods's investors include Insight Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Blisce, Boston Seed Capital, Construct Capital, CRV, Daffy, Fifth Wall, FirstMark Capital, Flybridge Capital Partners, Highland Capital Partners.
Imperfect Foods has raised $223.0M across 5 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $110.0M Series D in January 2021.