10 years Boroume

2012-2022: 10 YEARS BOROUME

Realizing 10 years ago that in many neighborhoods there was a great deal of food waste as well as an increasing need for food, we decided to create an innovative model of immediate rescue & food donation. Today, Boroume is a pan-European non-profit organization that offers a holistic approach to the issue of food waste with answers to and solutions for every level of this important environmental, social and economic issue.

From those first twelve cheese pies that we saved from a bar and offered at the local church in Ag. Anargyros 10 years ago, we have managed to save a total of 58 million portions of food, from thousands of donors of all kinds to more than 650 charities in 80 parts of Greece.

The environmental impact of Boroume is remarkable as it corresponds to a total of 85.26 million kg of CO2 eq that have been prevented from polluting the atmosphere (1 portion saved & donated = 1.47 kg CO2 eq). This amount is equivalent to more than 1.56 million trips from Athens to Thessaloniki in an average conventional car!

Boroume's overall social impact is difficult to measure accurately. However, it is reflected daily in the countless smiles of the people of every vulnerable social group, who have received free food and foodstuffs through charitable institutions that have received our food donations for the last 10 years throughout Greece. From simple portions of food to exquisite delicacies of famous chefs, from fresh fruits and vegetables from farmers’ markets to the best pastries of numerous patisseries, from a neighborhood bakery to a food manufacturer, there is now literally almost no food that has not been saved and offered by Boroume!

The financial impact of Boroume is perceived by the value of the food offered free of charge to charities which, estimating an average food portion of €2, amounts to €116 million. Also, the exceptional efficiency of the rescue & supply model of Boroume is highlighted by the fact that today the organization is able to save & offer 65 servings of food for every €1 of operating cost.

In an effort to tackle the complex and multifaceted issue of food waste holistically, Boroume has created a number of additional programs over the last 10 years. These programs aim either at the immediate rescue and supply of food at every level of the food chain (Saving & Offering Food, Boroume in the Field, Boroume at the Farmers’ Market, Boroume in the Neighborhood, We Are Family), or in raising awareness and providing  information to increase the prevention of food waste (Awareness Program  “Every Meal Matters,” Boroume at School, SavingFood Ambassador Program). Boroume has also created, in collaboration with AB Vassilopoulos, and coordinates, the Alliance for the Reduction of Food Waste, i.e. the most important national forum for all those involved in this issue (companies, public bodies, research community, Civil Society) . The most recent program created by Boroume, in collaboration with TÜV Austria Hellas, is the first Certification Scheme "No Food Waste," which will be awarded to those who actually reduce food waste in Greece.

In addition, Boroume has had the great honor of being a member of the European Union Platform for Food Loss and Waste since 2016 and for its actions it has been awarded -among other things- by the European Parliament with the European Citizen Award 2017 and the Islands Quality 2015.

The co-founder and manager of Boroume, Mr. Alexandros Theodoridis, says: "In the past 10 years we have been blessed in working with countless amazing people in charitable institutions, food donors, charities and other supporters of Boroume and have been honored by the support of over 2,500 volunteers. "There are literally no words to express our gratitude to all those who believed 10 years ago in a 'crazy' idea of how to change something very bad in our society, the coexistence of food waste with food need amongst our fellow human beings."

Boroume in numbers:
58 million servings of food saved & offered
> 30,000 servings of food are saved & offered on average daily
650 public benefit organizations throughout Greece have been supported by food
85.26 million kilos of CO2 were not released into the atmosphere thanks to the actions of Boroume
€116 million worth of food (estimating an average value of €2 per serving)
1€ operating cost for Boroume = 65 servings of food saved & offered
> 670,000 kilos of food have been saved & offered by 32 farmers’ markets since 2015
> 24,000 students have participated in Boroume at School since 2015
€1,679,164 in donations have been converted into supermarket gift vouchers for beneficiaries of 200 municipal social services
2,500 volunteers have supported the Boroume project