From Waste to Vision: How Janis Matheja Turned Saved Food Into a Business Model

How did you come to set up your organisation?

Janis M.: Food rescue and the related social issues surrounding food distribution have been on my mind ever since I moved to Münster six years ago. I actually started in the traditional way by dumpster diving; seeing the full bins outside grocery shops made me decide to rescue food not just for myself, but within an organised framework, and also to raise awareness of the enormous amount of food waste in Germany. 

In Münster, as in many cities across Germany, there is the ‘foodsharing’ initiative. foodsharing has enabled me to gain a wealth of experience in the field of food rescue: approaching partners, coordinating rescue teams, and then suddenly facing the ‘problem’: too much rescued food – where to put it all? This led me to open Münster’s first temporary fair-share shop.

Armed with this experience, we – initially a team of five founders – set up a team almost three years ago with the aim of opening a shop filled with rescued food: the fairTEiLBAR.

How did those around you react?

Janis M.: I demanded a lot from myself and my relationships. Time is a precious commodity when you’re starting a business! It was important for me to talk to my friends and family about the start-up phase well in advance. There was a lot going on, from organising cake-and-coffee Sundays so I could see all my friends at once, to visits from my parents who – as they always said – ‘volunteered to clean my flat’ and thus made their contribution to fairTEiLBAR. By the way, I’m now managing to clean my flat myself again.

What advice would you give to someone who’d like to start a business but hasn’t dared to do so yet?

Janis M.: Go for it! Talk about your ideas and network. I’m by no means the quintessential entrepreneur. What drives me is social change, which we aim to support through fairTEiLBAR. I don’t strive to maximise profits at the expense of others.

What I find lacking in the start-up scene in North Rhine-Westphalia are all those who are told they aren’t strong enough or are too young. The fairTEiLBAR concept is far from finished, but it is supported and developed by an incredible number of committed people driven by idealism. Find allies, find people who are just as mad as you are, and be brave together. Be open, be honest, admit to mistakes and shortcomings. For example, I knew next to nothing about bookkeeping and didn’t think I was capable of leading a team.

At this point, I’d like to address all those who don’t fit the traditional mould of an entrepreneur. I want to encourage those who haven’t necessarily been supported in their development and socialisation; to reach out to those who don’t dare to go public with their ideas.

Many of us are taught as children or teenagers to worry. If something happens to us, we’re told we should be more careful. We’re encouraged to be empathetic. What we don’t necessarily learn is how to find and forge new paths, despite setbacks. Instead, we’re told to focus more on ourselves rather than others, to be more open and transparent. And unfortunately, the latter qualities are not typically attributed to the ‘entrepreneurial spirit’. That is why the former group are much more likely to choose careers in the environmental and social sectors. Yet it is precisely these people who are missing from the start-up scene – those who care about their employees and our environment, who can admit to mistakes, who do not insist on their vision but engage in dialogue, and who prioritise cooperation over competition.

What changes has your business undergone during the coronavirus crisis? Did you have to adapt your business model as a result of the pandemic?

Janis M.: We were lucky that fairTEiLBAR, as a food shop, was allowed to remain open; as an essential service provider, we were able to carry on operating within our existing structures by responding appropriately and adapting our safety measures. We’re disinfecting more frequently, our customers now queue outside the shop rather than inside, and our workshops sometimes take place online. But we didn’t have to worry about rethinking our concept and adapting it to the crisis.

Did you apply for support measures for businesses affected by the coronavirus crisis, such as the NRW emergency aid? To what extent did these support measures help you?

Janis M.: The NRW emergency aid wasn’t an option for us. As a grocery shop, we remained open throughout the entire first lockdown. Our opening hours changed slightly, as demand was concentrated in the morning and early afternoon.

We actually observed some positive developments as a result of the pandemic: people always need to eat, and suddenly eating out was no longer the norm. We didn’t just become a shopping destination; we also gave cooking tips and encouraged people to try something new.

You are the winner of the “NEUE GRÜNDERZEIT NRW 2020” roadshow. What do you plan to do with the €5,000 prize?

Janis M.: It isn’t me who has won, but the team and the fairTEiLBAR concept. And that’s where we’re heading next. fairTEiLBAR is currently being driven by incredibly dedicated people. Next year, we want to enable the idea to be developed further. Specifically, through educational work. We already have two team members who are currently working on various workshop formats. Among other things, we hope to make it possible for fairTEiLBAR to soon be active at your school, or working together in the kitchen or out in the fields.

Oh, and a cargo bike wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

What is your vision for fairTEiLBAR?

Janis M.: Of course we want to grow, but not for the sake of maximising profits, but so that we can save more food and raise awareness of food waste among even more people. The work at fairTEiLBAR involves an incredible amount of care work. At the moment, very few people can be paid, let alone make a living from it. We hope that this work, which many view as less valuable, will be valued and, above all, adequately paid. At the moment, we are working as a team to define roles. Our aim is therefore to enable more people to have paid work at fairTEiLBAR. Furthermore, there is much more valuable food to be saved than we are currently able to do. We focus on collaboration and cooperation rather than competition.

Tapping into new markets always sounds so promising, and that’s something we’ve had in mind right from the start. We need to – and want to – reach out to everyone and get them on board with the ‘Save Food’ movement. Because if only the section of society that’s already concerned with environmental and climate issues comes to us, then we won’t be able to achieve very much or expand our sphere of influence. The climate crisis is no laughing matter. Only if everyone pulls together can this challenge possibly be met. With our ‘Pay what it’s worth to you!’ payment concept, we achieve two goals: firstly, all our customers are invited at the till to engage more deeply with food and, in doing so, decide what their shopping is worth to them. And secondly, we also reach people who do not shop with us primarily out of a concern for sustainability, but who belong to the less privileged groups who may have to work out each month how to make ends meet. After all, many of us may find ourselves in a more difficult financial situation at some point in our lives – whether as students, in retirement or as single parents.