Wonky Box: Food rescue business expands across the North Island

Wonky Box co-founders Katie Jackson and Angus Simms. Photo / Supplied

Wonky Box is on a mission - to bring more fresh produce to more places in the North Island.

The business is a fresh fruit and vegetable subscription box service, which delivers surplus or odd-looking produce that’s at risk of going to waste.

It also aims to reduce waste on farms by working with local growers to bring Kiwis an affordable way to purchase fruit and vegetables.

Since starting in 2021, Wonky Box has rescued over 100,000 kilograms of produce, which would have otherwise gone to waste, while simultaneously providing an extra revenue stream for growers.

It’s estimated that one-third of all produced food is wasted each year globally and around 4 per cent of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas emissions are from food and organic waste.

Wonky Box co-founders Angus Simms and Katie Jackson said access to cheaper produce had become more important for consumers, especially after recent weather events and the cost of living crisis.

The pair had seen some of the knock-on effects of this first-hand, with higher rates of damage to crops and poorer quality vegetables, which in turn prompted significant increases in in-store prices.

Simms said the business had received “hundreds of requests” asking when delivery services would be expanded “as people become more conscious about where they spend their money and what they can do to be more sustainable”.

As a result, Wonky Box has increased its reach across the North Island with the help of its new delivery partner NZ Post.

Wonky Box is now available to non-rural addresses in Auckland, Gisborne, Hamilton, Napier/Hastings, New Plymouth, Manawatū, Taupō, Tauranga, Thames, Waikato, Wellington, Whakatāne, Whanganui and Whangārei.

“It’s comforting to know we can now deliver healthy food options to people in smaller regional towns,” Jackson said.

She was “especially grateful” to NZ Post for teaming up with Wonky Box.

“We’ll now be able to reduce even more food waste, support more local growers, and provide fresh produce to even more households.”

So how much cheaper are Wonky Box fruit and vegetables?

“I think, on average, you’ll find our box turns out to be around 10 to 15 per cent cheaper than what you would expect from a supermarket,” Simms told The Country’s Jamie Mackay.

He was quick to point out that, as a subscription service, Wonky Box had a fixed price.

“We’re not a supermarket [or] retailer who can suddenly slash our prices.”

Wonky Box offered seasonal produce as well, so the price fluctuated when compared “like to like” but Simms said the service was still competitive.

“We think that we are an affordable offering in the market.”

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One local grower helping out Wonky Box is Alastair Niven, who runs an avocado orchard in Katikati.

And yes - there was such a thing as an ugly avocado, he told Mackay.

“If you get a little bit of a cool climate as the fruit is just establishing it can become a bit wonky by way of shape.

“It can spread out and not be that beautiful cylindrical shape that they normally are.”

Cold weather also resulted in a course “ridgy” skin, Niven said.

All of this was cosmetic, however.

“Obviously the fruit inside is beautiful but the skin can look a bit rough.”

Before Wonky Box these “ugly” avocados would have been used for oil, Niven said.

“Now Angus is on the scene we’ve got a great market for them and it’s going really, really well.”

To find out more about Wonky Box visit www.wonkybox.nz