 and we're just about to talk about an interesting topic. We've already had this interview behind the scenes, so hopefully we'll extend the same conversation online, not online, live on TV as well. And we're being joined live in studio by Anthony Minor, who is the CEO and co-founder of Food Cloud Kenya. This is a company that helps you to actually get insights as well as give you information on how to avoid food-wasted. And I love the fact on his fly, he says, food-waste hurts our planet, and so help him to fight food-waste. And just a little bit of insight about, you know, the advocate here, he's passionate about food conservation and avoiding food-wasted. He says, according to Food Agriculture Association, that is foul, 1.3 billion tons of food waste is annually wasted. One in every people go to bed hungry and over 20,000 children underage die of starvation. Even right now in our country, there's areas that are facing severe hunger strike, and a lot of people are dying, and it's only right that we have this conversation about food-wasted. Good morning to you, Anthony. Good morning, Brian. Welcome to Why in the Morning. I appreciate it. You're so passionate. Wow. It's going down, it's going down, it's going down. But I'd really like you to just give us a brief overview of your company and how you came up with the name of the company, Food... It's Food Cloud. Food Cloud Kenya. Yeah, Food Cloud, not Food Plus. Just to be... You're confusing with the Food Plus. Yeah, exactly. So a brief overview of how you came about it and what inspired you. Let me just give a little background of whom I am and my motivation behind Food Cloud. I'm Anthony Maynard, background in sales and marketing with seven years experience, serving different organizations. Before starting Food Cloud, I was serving as a B2B sales manager, Brad Mark, safety group limited. And one of the things that inspired me to start Food Cloud, I remember we used to go to those dinners and those functions. And I would notice that sometimes I can remember way back in 2020, we went for this buffet at Eaton Hotel. We had an event where we expected 100 guests, 60% a guest showed up. Right. So the remaining food was thrown away? Yeah, so the remaining food for 40%. We were with my founding partner, Food Karame Mukwe. So we started on and thought, what if we come up with a system that can help these people in food industry to distribute these food instead of wastage? Like now next year, the year that followed, 2021, 2022, we went ahead and we just started Food Cloud. And the rest is history. The rest is history and here you are advocating for food. Advocating for food security, yes. All right, I'm really like, I'm so interested to know like, who are your target market and like the people you target specifically in terms of spreading awareness when it comes to food wastage? Who are the specific people that you target? I'm targeting the general public, though my focus is on the youth because due to the way information is spreading, you seem new there, it's very easy even for advocating online. Yes. Is it because young people are ignorant? And so like, I remember before we came on, we were talking about how people shop or also supermarket store a lot of food and if they reach the expiry, it's automatic they'll throw that expired bread, whatever away. How can we actually spread awareness and also how can we recycle wasted food and ensure that it doesn't just go to waste, like tons, tons of food is being thrown away that costs a lot. And as well as, we also mentioned the way that it contributes to climate change and the global warming. Maybe I can first export on that. Food waste contributes to 10% of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. What basically happens, when you throw away one kg of food, when that food decomposes, it releases the 3 kg of, the 3 kg kilogram of methane gas. What normally happens, when this air is released into the atmosphere, it drops more heat from the sun and that's one of causes of global warming. Yes. So that's actually how it happens. That's the background of it. Right. So food waste. Let's come to food wasting, food being thrown away in bulk that has already expired. How can we ensure that we don't throw away the food but divert it into another different product? What you can basically do or what happens mostly in developing countries, this food is most redistributed to people with food banks and charity foundations and we're also working on such food instead of wasting. Also the food that actually get wasted before the distribution can also be used in manufacture of animal feeds. Right. Yes. So in short, you can get for example, like bread you mentioned, they dry it and they do something different with it. Yes, it's also used in making animal feed even for fish. We have something called azola and you can make it through food remains. Right. Yes. Now what happens to like fast food? Let's say maybe like organic and now in organic foodstuffs, like let's say all this sweet juicy, they call them finger licking juicy foods of mouthwatering foodstuffs. What happens to them now is compared to like for example, farmers who grow cabbage in Africa to a place in Anzacurot, you it will be recycled like you say. You can dry it, it can even be manure. But now what happens to in organic ones? What normally happens as I was telling you through our site for the crowd Kenya, for those who have partnered with the farmers and other distributors, we are able to distribute at reduced prices. Let's say maybe a cabbage doing at 30. Right. We can do it at 15 instead of wasting. Right. Yes, and people can through our site are able to browse, see the offers that we have. And then they order and we deliver. Right. Yes, instead of wasting. Instead of wasting and throwing away. The same happened to those food from food joint, yes. Hotels specifically. Yes, same strategy, yes. But now when it comes to the market, of course, there's those people that you go to shop in bulk, I want to shop food here two, three weeks. But then it just happens that that food expires within even a half, in the middle of the week. How can they get these insights that you can shop in small amounts and still be able to consume all of that food? Like just budget for your food. How can you give them awareness so that they can also even plug into food cloud as well? How basically you can work, you can hook up with us. We be distributing that food to Food Bank on the needy. It's the wrong thing. Like they can go out to donate food to you. Yes, yes. So that's how you come in. We deliver to the needy. We deliver to the needy. And how does that happen? Like, do you have a truck? Do you have people you walk with that come to the food? We have trucks and a team that's also doing that. We have, yes. But how does someone know that you guys are doing that so that they can reach out to you? Maybe a social media, a number, an email? Probably they can visit at our office, Kikuyu Gitaro, or reach us directly. They can call me directly. I can give them my number. 0728-225-125. All right. Let me read on your flyer. There's a place you say... You also have an app, by the way. Yes, of course. It's available on? Presto, but it had some issue, but you're working on it. We are evaluating it. All right, yes. I'm really interested about this point here, point number three. That says ironically amount of food lost or wasted costs around 2.6 trillion US dollars. And it's more than enough to feed 815 million hungry people in the world four times over. This is massive. It's possible, because as you are reading that flyer, you find you are wasting 1.3 billion food. That's in Kenya, or world, right? Grubari. Grubari. The ironic part of it, 800 million people grubari has no food. We just need to save just 25% of that 1.3 billion tons of food. It is enough to feed those 800 million starving people. Yes. Now, how can people be aware of this? And how important is it to actually do that? We are working on it online. We also have a brand of buzzarders for that. Okay, yes. So very soon, but you mentioned you've been nominated for some reason? Yes, we have been nominated for the startup of the year award. Right. Yes. Which is fantastic. Yes. I was trying to look at your flyer, where you have a bear, it's floating on a spoiled bread. Yes. I believe it's bread that's rotting. But then this bread is in the middle of the sea. Yes. Yeah, I just want you to talk about that and how it means to... Both normally happens, food waste. You know, food waste really affect our bird, whether it's fish, whether it's those animals. You know, it's fed up in the ocean, and it affects even the living object in the ocean. Right. Yes. I think it was last week when I saw in the news outlet, they were talking about cleaning the beaches. Beaches with B-E, C-N-R-E-I. B-E-E. Yeah, they're talking about cleaning all the beaches to ensure that the seas are pure and clean to just ensure that it supports aquatic life. It means that a lot of waste, especially food waste, and this also includes plastics. Yeah, even plastics. End up at the sea. Yes. Which affects aquatic life. Do you feel like in terms of even global warming as well as, let's say, there's plastic like, floods are prone to it, and there's plastic like completely dry. Do you think that this can help to ensure that we have a balanced weather system? Yes, both what's happening. Also, when it comes to issues of flooding, we have seen that food waste contribute to good performing. Because in some areas, let's say maybe in those areas that have high prestibulations, when there's too much separation, there will be a lot of evaporation. Let's say maybe there will be a lot of evaporation and when they happen to be a lot of evaporation, so what will happen? There will be too much in some areas, automatically, flooding happens. In other areas, it will be dry. Yes. Which I feel like it's a very important, you know, awareness that we need to have. Now, for example, if you are to actually pitch your idea, you said you want to meet the president some days. If you were to pitch your idea to him, like, how do you pitch it? Why would it be so important for the president and the government to plug in and support you? Pushing for policies, eh? And the formulation of a regulatory framework that will guide those in food industry in this fight. Right. Yes. You had mentioned China and we, you mentioned China and also you said Japan. Oh, I have Japan. They have food policy programs that allow people not to waste food and you said it's a crime. It's a crime to throw food in China and Japan. So we need similar kind of policies in Kenya. But instead of wasting, maybe if you have a hotel industry, no, think of a way, maybe donating, maybe to food or to food, to those food banks or any day instead of wasting. And through that, you're able to fight climate change and food, you'll be able to fight food waste and climate change. We need similar kind of policies. Right. Do you have like maybe specific policies? Like maybe you can try to formulate yours because you're already working with the food plus that you would say number one, if you're found doing et cetera with food, then the consequences are this and that. What one of the policies, like we can have it like this when you're throwing, when you afford maybe throwing food, maybe you can be penalized, maybe you can maybe pay a certain amount. Right. Yes. Like some sort of tax. Yes, some form of tax. Yes. Okay. Let's talk about hotels. Of course, like from your scenario with your friend, you were at Hilton. Yes. And then the food was for 100 people, 60% or 60 turned up. 60 people turned up. 60 people turned up and the rest 40 was, you said you were sure it was thrown away. It was thrown away. Now, how can we help hotels to work in a budget? Cause like you said, if you're trying to actually come or come to this niche and fill the gap and bring a solution to it, this means you'll have to go on ground and speak to the people in the industrialization, in the hotel industry that is hospitality industry. How can they be aware that if you have to budget for like, let's say for a day you're serving 200 clients or 150 or maybe even more, how can you help them budget so that the rest of the food is not thrown away? We had mentioned, you said that it's not possible like for 40 or 100 people, if 60 turned up, the 40 can be served to another person. It's not possible. I think it's gonna go to worst. How can you help them money? We can work on it. There's something we are working on within our food cloud system. Whereby you can use point of sale data to predict. If let's say maybe you cooked, maybe use this amount. Tomorrow, you can maybe reduce it. There's a way you can use the point of data to predict. Through that, you will be stressed. So we can partner with these hotels and help them in that. And also distribution, in the case maybe there's something they'll be left with instead of doing away. You mentioned that point of sale. That's like some sort of a system. Yes. Data system or a processing system used in companies. It's a system that used in most hotels. All right, yes. Now let's come back to technology, which is sport or tech. How have you used technology to actually solve these matters? What normally happens, we have an e-commerce website called Food Carrier. If you cook, you can see it. Food. Cloud Kenya. What normally happens, let's say maybe you are a supplier or maybe you are a farmer, you register with us. Once you register with us, customers on the other side are able to see the product that has been reduced on the price. Then they're able to browse, check in and order. Then ask Food Carrier to deliver. Right. This is like similar to Glovo and the rest? Us, it's different. Because we are distributing products that are about to expire and are reduced to prices. 60% are reduced to prices. But you know, a lot of people would be scared. They'd be like, it's not going to expire in the afternoon. A lot of people actually want to, in fact, nobody wants to buy bread that's expiring the next day. We don't want it to expire in three, four days. That's a week. But us, we are targeting those people who do small shopping. You get my point, you are buying to purchase it maybe the next moment or the next day. Right. So this is like middle, middle class? Yes, middle class. Because you realize people in the upper class, they do like careless shopping. They have money. Not those doing bar shopping. Bar shopping. Bar shopping. But you know what's happening. In Kenya, there's a high cost of living. So in most, when it does, people that will save you some coin, automatically people are rushing for that. Right. Yes. If I tell maybe I will say your bread maybe at 40 instead of 60, automatically you go for that. People are rushing for that. Yeah. Yes. But to realize people, those who are scared, like they want to go for food that will take them for a week. Actually there's that thing, like I want to stop food for like a whole month. Not unless maybe you are doing bar shopping. Bar shopping. Yes. But which is like you say, which is also not a good idea. Because you could be buying like bread that's expiring tomorrow and you definitely will throw it away the following day. Yes. Exactly. Yeah. So you are solving and bringing solutions to that. Yes. Now let's talk about the general space in terms of sensitizing the youth to this, especially in terms of outreach, like who are the people that you're applying to reach out to in future? You mentioned the youth, like specifically now let's delve into the situation on ground. In the future, we'll be having those mobilization campaigns counter-wide that will ensure that we will to reach more people. We also planning to partner with some media houses in spreading information. Right. Yes. What about advocacy? Do you have like people who are food advocates? I know, I think she was a friend. He was a friend to one of the celebs who was I think on a reality show. He calls himself Food God. He's a chef though, so he cooks different types of recipes. He brings them. So in terms of advocacy, do you have like people advocating for food preservation, food wastage, or personally you are as well? We are recruiting with the time and we have somebody that you're working on with on board who is calling herself Zero Waste Chef. Zero? Zero Waste Chef, teaching people on what to do with us and make the best of what we have. Right. So in the future, we also have maybe activists fighting food waste. Right. Yes. It is a pipeline. It's underway. Yes, underway. Nice, which is amazing. Let's talk about health, food health in general. There's people who consume a lot of calories and there's people who consume less calories. Now, how can you help a person who consumes a huge amount or who consumes bulk as compared to a person who just like a medium eater? I remember Mikoho said she eats a lot but she doesn't know where that food goes, so that you also plug in as well. That's tricky because they're not touching that butter. I don't know how much. That's like an individual dietary plant. Yes, yes. All right. I think you can also plug in. I feel like it's a good thing so that you help people lose weight as well or people eat, right? Remember, even when you go to the gym, they'll tell you you'll have to eat some foodstuffs, you know, proteins, balancing proteins with carbohydrates, vitamins, blah, blah, blah. I think what you need to do, Ramos Kenyans do not exercise. You don't want maybe to work. Kiramahar, you are just taking over. Yes. But anyway, so at the end of the day, you're trying to actually help yourself if you're taking over. Maybe a walk. Sometimes a walk is good, yes. For your hearts. A walk, yes. Avoiding those janks. All right. So what are some of the visions that you have for your company as well? One of the visions that you have in Fuller Crowd, as I had explained before, in Kenya, we waste two billions per annum. We have a vision that in the next five years, we will be able to have cut this food by 40%. Okay. And Fuller Crowd will be present in five countries in Africa. All right. Yes. We want to spread all over. You want to, in terms of international outreach, are there specific countries that you love? Because I feel like your conversation, if you had a chance to be on TED, the big platform to tell people about how it's so important to ensure that we preserve, I feel like it fits. It fits TED. The producers are TED. Or CNN as well. CNN, CNN is right. There's a program called African Voices Changemaker Switch is being hosted now by Larry. If you had such a platform, what would you tell them? Impact of food waste and climate change. All right. And how we can collaborate in curbing this. All right. Yes. Now, let's come back here in Kenya. Do you feel like the culture of food wastage is extended? Like we've seen our parents do it. Or it's a habit. There's people like that. Like eat your food, finish it. Don't eat half and throw the rest away. Or preserve it or give it to a neighbor who is starving. That's also helping. I think in Kenya it's like a habit. Some people are used to it even when you are growing up. Maybe you are putting too much that you cannot even finish. It's not happening in China or other developed countries. You take what you think you can be able to finish. I think it's all about maybe the policies that has been enforced. So in Kenya, in Kenya, maybe we enforce policies. It's too going to be a big threat. Now, what happens to places like high schools? High schools, especially boarding schools where the food is cooked in huge amounts. Like say, from the example of Hilton, there are like maybe 800 students. The food is maybe like 4,000 people. Definitely it's going to go to the West. That one can also be distributed to food banks and charity homes. Yes, and as we can help in that. Initially, let's come back to you now personally. Before you become the CEO, because you're the CEO now. Yes. Also, you'll tell us if you've employed people as well in that company. And if somebody who's watching might want to come and work with them. What were you doing initially that actually brought you to this space? Oh, food crowd. I had explained before. I was working as a B2B, sales manager, brand-maximity group whereby we are fighting counterfeit. This is like one of those companies that want to shake out or maybe... No, no, no. It's just a technology that helps consumers identify genuine and fake product. So you use some sort of like a website, machine, or as a scanning? It used to be a security icon. whereby you could be able to scan using your mobile phone and check over a product that you're buying. Let's say maybe some mobile phone and check. However, it's genuine or fake. Yes, I was having that company before we started Full Card with my partner. It's like similar to that tech at the airport where they're able to scan through... Yes, yes. Simak, I don't... Do you know Sproxil? No, no, no, I'm not really sure. They have not bought seeds. Da? Seeds, seeds for printing. Yes, yes, yes. You have seen that as scratchy code where you scratch and send a code. Right, yeah. It's a similar kind of technology. So you used to scan when you scan to give you the result. However, the product you're buying is genuine or fake. So I was having that... It's American company. Whereby we had gotten a dealership to run it through Africa. Okay. Yes. Now, tell us about your company. Have you employed people? Can people come and work there? Currently, in Fulcrum, what you're having is developers and digital marketers and a devising board. Yes. So you guys are closed. You're very tight. You take more with time. You're the CEO, Barnard. You're people's jobs. We absorb them more with time. There's too much work upcoming. Right. Yes. Now, in terms of tech, is there like any type of technology that you use to work with, especially when it comes to handling, you mentioned point of sale. Point of sale. Yeah. Which I feel like it's an up, even used in supermarkets, right? It's even in supermarkets to be able to predict. Right. Yes. At your company, what are some of the softwares that you use? The e-commerce website. Yes. Explain to us how it works. It's simple. I can explain again. We have two sites. We have the vendor sites and the e-commerce website. What normally happens, let's say maybe you're a farmer and maybe you have maybe some cabbages and you want to be redistributing through us whenever you have surplus. You register with us. It's free. When you register, the super admin at my company approve your product. Upon approval of your product, the consumer on the other hand or the customer, the moment he log in to the food cart website, he's able to check different product that has been posted. He compare prices from different suppliers. He's able to order, then you supply. Right. Yes. Okay. Kenya is, they say agriculture is there? Backbone of our country. Right? Not yet. You have a wrong way to go. If you cannot feed the starving Kenyans, I can't say that you're back in the economy. We have a wrong way to go. But Juicy, they gave up fertilizer to cushion farmers. There's so much that need to be done in the agriculture sector. There's so much. There's reduction in productivity. Okay. Yes. Now for farmers, of course, also Kenyans among the top producers or exporters. Yes, of product like tea, of acados. Right. How can we also carbon into that space and ensure that it doesn't go to waste? What normally happens, like those being of acados, you find in most cases in those export, they don't take those overgrown of acados. So in most cases, we have what we call the reject. So we're also helping those people exporters and those parkhouse managers redistribute those reject of acados. We have partnered with those people who make avocado oil instead of wasting. So we can also work with them. Also, we have those people who export the French bean and other veggies. Right. We're also partnering with them in the distribution of those products that has been erected at the export point. Right. Now what happens to, like let's say non-consumerable products like flowers? There's a way we are working on them, because even the flowers have reject and are able to receive them to funeral homes and maybe those who have event. So nothing is going to waste. I think it's going to waste, basically. So you guys are guns blazing, coming at this. Yes. Wow, which is fantastic. What is it my forgetting before we exit? What are the, let's say, what are some of the future, future objectives or future ambitions that you have for your company that you feel like we should look for and that people can plug in to support you? If maybe you need partners, sponsors, anyone who can be a part of your initiative to ensure that we avoid food wastage? Maybe if government can plug in, we work together in formation of policies, food can push for that. All right. Yes. All right, so what would you need for people to come and do if you are partnering with them? Maybe volunteers or food warriors. Volunteers or food warriors. There's many people who are so passionate about food. Who are so passionate about food. We work together. All right. Yes. All right, so you can give them your number, your email, where they can find you, reach out to you and plug in. That's your camera. And also the social media platforms and anything that you think of for go to share. Okay, okay, okay. That's your camera. You can reach us through my number, which is 0728-225-125. You can also drop us an email food crowd, 877-87-artemio.com. And remember to nominate us. We go, remember to vote us. We go to the meeting and start up of the year award of food. Last year or this year? This year, this year. This year. Yes. And you started with blessings. He's a blessing. All right. Yes. So anything else? Nothing more. All right. Thank you, Anthony Miner. You are the CEO and also co-founder as well. Food cloud Kenya. Food cloud Kenya. Food plus. You're confusing. Thank you so much for your time. We definitely would love to, when you win another one, please don't forget to pass by. And tell us. I'll pass by. Yeah. And tell us more insights. And as well, if you find bigger people that partner with you, please always share the insight. Yes, I will, I will, I will. All right. And also say hi to your partner. You said she's. She's, I can say hi. Yeah, sure. I'll take this opportunity to thank and appreciate my partner, folding partner, Furukawa Mukwe Karemi. I don't take anything for granted. I have been a soldier in this journey and we are going far together. Let's keep on fighting until we eliminate this problem of food waste group. Okay. I hope I'm a partner message. I'm hoping to. Yeah. So, thank you so much for your time. All right. So, we're gonna take a very short break and then we'll be coming up next with something amazing. You don't wanna miss it.