For our last company visit of Plus3 Ireland, we were able to visit FoodCloud! FoodCloud serves a purpose very similar to 412 Food Rescue here in Pittsburgh; their mission is to combat food waste and its harsh impact on our environment, and they do so through technology and by matching businesses stuck with food surplus with communities.

By having their operations B2B, FoodCloud is able to reach such an expansive audience, allowing them to distribute large amounts of food to organizations that take on the delegation of the food to communities. Wholesale deliveries to community groups saves the company the time and expenses of marketing to individuals, getting food to dozens of households, and forming hundreds of relationships within a community. I think that FoodCloud has integrated themselves into Ireland so well due to the variety of food they have to offer, as well. In my experience with food drives and food banks, what is collected is very limited due to storage constraints and shelf life. Items like meat or fresh produce are extremely rare, but as we saw during our visit, FoodCloud has plenty. The company even makes apple juice from excess apples! I think having the ability to provide fresh food to those who normally don’t have access to it makes FoodCloud so prevalent in communities.

What I find innovative about FoodCloud is how they have created their own supply chain to increase the longevity of their food donations. If the company receives a significant amount of meat, for example, it would have to be distributed rather quickly to prevent it from going bad. FoodCloud may not have the necessary demand for the meat, and if not delivered in the necessary time, the meat would go bad and the food is wasted, completely going against the company’s mission. Instead, FoodCloud has enough storage space to safely break down large quantities of food they receive to create proportional amounts for recipients and to spread out its shelf life. FoodCloud can break down large donations of meat, package it, and keep it safe in their refrigerators and freezers to keep it edible, yet able to be distributed at a later date. I find that their supply chain, and the tools necessary like proper storage capacity that they possess, is very vital to their goals. FoodCloud can receive large donations, allowing them to build their inventory to provide more for the communities they serve, and keep them preserved. This serves as a strategic business move too since the company can keep strong ties with their donors by not turning away donations. I think their supply chain provides several benefits across multiple areas of the business.

Before our company visit, we went to former prison Kilmainham Gaol in the morning. Inside Kilmainham Gaol’s walls exists an immense amount of history, such as the love story of Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford. I found it interesting to learn about all the different circumstances surrounding prisoners’ stays, and how the judicial system has significantly changed to become what it is today. We received in-depth accounts of Ireland’s fight for independence during our trip, and it was interesting to get further insight from our tour guide.