Organic and homemade food brought to the dining rooms of large corporations
Carlota Mateos and Juan Vila, co-founders of PlenEat have a vision: to pioneer the rural-urban virtuous circle in Madrid through 100 per cent certified organic meals. With momentum from its participation in the Climate KIC accelerator programme, PlenEats has the ambition to generate the greatest possible positive impact on both society and the planet while feeding the city delicious and nutritious meals.
The ‘Countryside-City’ mindset that forms the foundation of PlenEat is committed to increasing the accessibility of certified organic food to achieve a healthier society and a healthier planet. With seasonal, healthy ingredients that local farmers cultivate and local chefs prepare, they provide healthy meals for company canteens and events. They currently work with 14 companies, including HP, Disney, Reale, BBVA, ICEX and the Instituto de Empresa. This is complemented by sales through vending machines and takeaway shops, as well as meal delivery service, which is currently in the pilot phase. In addition, they have entered a strategic alliance with Sodexo, the largest company in the food service operations sector worldwide.
An unlimited ambition
PlenEat also seeks to transform the production side of the food services industry. In the first half of 2021, they will launch a project in La Manchuela (Cuenca, Spain) that aims to convert conventional chicken production into an organic industry. The new processing plant for chicken products will be built with the intention of opening the door for farmers in the region to switch to organic production. The plant will also include a line of hamburgers and vegan meatballs made from certified organic pulses. PlenEat has raised over €4 million to date to fund this ambitious project.
“The project has a triple impact: it improves the health of the customers who eat our organic food, stimulates the economy of rural areas of depopulated Spain and protects the environment, as organic production avoids the use of tons of chemicals that pollute the soil, aquifers and air, while guaranteeing animal welfare,” says Carlota Mateos.
The co-founder explains the biggest challenge is a shortage of time. “In order to contribute to the fight against climate change, we need PlenEat to have a big impact in the shortest space of time, so increasing demand exponentially is key to this project. And that’s where we are, despite the pandemic”. The team is already working at full speed and plan to have the project fieldwork implemented before the summer.
The pandemic is an additional factor of risk, uncertainty and difficulty for entrepreneurs, but Carlota Mateos stresses that “if the pandemic has revealed anything, it is the vulnerability of human beings and the fragility of the planet. PlenEat is a company that provides a solution to both problems. We have no doubt that once the pandemic is over, PlenEat’s position will have strengthened exponentially”.
Learn more about PlenEat: https://www.pleneat.es/