Social enterprise FoodCloud given €30,000 tech donation from Ricoh Ireland

The tech firm installed three multifunctional print devices in FoodCloud’s offices and distribution centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Established in 2013, the success of FoodCloud - which takes food waste from supermarkets and donates to charities and community groups - has seen the firm grown rapidly.

The company, which has developed its own app, has now redistributed more than 20 million meals from almost 2,000 businesses across Ireland and the UK.

Supermarkets such as Tesco, Lidl and Aldi can upload information regarding surplus foods to the app, which then sends out a message to charities that the food is available for collection at their stores.

Ricoh's tech donation will play a vital role in allowing the social enterprise to continue to assist local charities every week - and the tech firm will provide proactive support and management of the print infrastructure.

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A suite of office furniture has also been given to FoodCloud by Ricoh, and will be installed at the enterprise’s headquarters in Broomhill Business Park, Tallaght.

Aoibheann O’Brien, general manager, FoodCloud, said she was "truly grateful" for the donations.

"Printers are an invaluable cog in our operation as they allow us to seamlessly produce documentation which is essential for delivering food quickly and cost-effectively to our charity partners," she said.

"This advanced print technology will enable us to carry out this much-needed service even more effectively than before, while the ongoing managed print service from Ricoh ensures great business continuity and peace of mind."

With an estimated 1 million tonnes of food waste generated in Ireland annually, FoodCloud's approach to find an environmentally sound solution to help solve the issue of food poverty appealed to Ricoh’s sustainability ethos.

"We have been hugely impressed by FoodCloud’s unique ability to help businesses redistribute surplus food to people who really need it," Robert Viljoen, business development manager, Ricoh Ireland, said.