Waiheke has just been added to the delivery route for online grocery start-up Supie, which continues to make waves as it competes against the duopoly of Woolworths and Foodstuffs.
Founder Sarah Balle says she’s excited about the expansion, which was a response to growing requests from island residents.
It comes as Kiwis seek more choice as they contend with soaring food costs amid the cost-of-living crisis.
“Waiheke has always been on our radar, we have had so many customer requests from the island to bring Supie there,” Balle told Gulf News. “We had it on the list and really wanted to make it happen.”
Balle, who grew up on a vegetable farm in Pukekohe, came up with the idea for the start-up after watching truckloads of edible produce being dumped season after season, because it did not meet the high standards of New Zealand supermarkets.
“Forty percent of all fruit and vegetables grown here get dumped,” she says. “This amount of food waste is staggering. I wanted to find a way to redirect some of that food destined for waste to the people who need it most. A way in which food producers can win and consumers can win. That was the problem I was driven to solve, and how Supie was born.”
Supie launched two years ago, mainly to Auckland postcodes, and has grown steadily ever since.
“Supie is delivering affordable groceries, our latest price comparisons show we are comparative or slightly lower priced than Pak’nSave,” says Balle.
