Hyderabad startup Replate helps bakeries reduce food waste with surprise bags

Hyderabad startup Replate is helping bakeries reduce food waste by selling unsold food through discounted "surprise bags". The initiative benefits customers, helps businesses recover costs and has already prevented more than 300 kg of edible food from ending up in landfills.

HYDERABAD: Every evening, as bakeries and cafes across Hyderabad pull down their shutters, trays of perfectly edible croissants, pastries, sandwiches and breads are quietly discarded.

The surplus food that is still safe to eat often ends up in the bin simply because stores have reached closing time.

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A Hyderabad-based startup, Replate, founded by friends Karan Singh Gujral and Aditya Arya, is hoping to change that by connecting customers with bakeries to sell their surplus food at discounted prices instead of letting it go to waste. The idea came after the duo witnessed the practice firsthand at a well-known coffee shop in Gachibowli.

“While at a coffee place in Gachibowli, we saw the store manager throwing away croissants, pastries, and muffins that were good to eat. When asked, we were told it was company policy and the food had to be discarded at the end of the day,” said Karan Singh Gujral.

The founders then spent months speaking to bakery and cafe owners. “We spoke to more than 40 bakeries and cafes across Hyderabad, and they confirmed they throw away unsold food. There is no system to deal with this unpredictable surplus, ” he said.

Replate operates through ‘surprise bags’, where partner bakeries pack their unsold food before closing time and list them on the platform. Customers know which bakery the bag comes from, but not what is inside. The bags may contain croissants, pastries, puffs, sandwiches, and other baked items, offering products worth nearly three times the purchase price.

“The brands simply pack the items left unsold at closing time and list them with us. Customers get quality food at a lower cost, bakeries recover part of their production cost, and the food doesn’t end up in the bin,” said Aditya Arya.

The startup has partnered with six bakery brands operating across nearly 20 outlets in Hyderabad, including Bikanervala, Bakelore and Brown Bear. Around 60 surprise bags are sold every day, with the number rising to nearly 75 on weekends.

While many bakeries initially feared discounted surplus food would affect regular sales, the founders say the initiative has had the opposite effect, with surprise bags introducing customers to brands they later revisit and purchase from at full price.

“So far, we have rescued more than 350 surprise bags and saved over 300 kg of food from going to landfill,” said Karan. “There is no reason good food should end up in landfills while millions of people sleep hungry,” he added.

The founders now plan to expand beyond bakeries into restaurants, hotels, and the FMCG sector.