Cliffs of Moher/Galway: Give us your observations on what stood out to you during your tour of the Cliffs of Moher and the City of Galway.
The sheer size and grandeur of the Cliffs of Moher was the most impressive sight of the day. Apart from their beauty, the strength they showed against the winds and turbulent seas was inspiring. The weather was quintessentially Irish, but I thought that helped shed a grander light upon the cliffs. The bus rides were also great, as they showed the great flats and hills of Ireland that have sustained livestock and farmers for thousands of years. Along the ride, our bus driver shared great snippets of Irish history.
FoodCloud: In preparation for your site visit to FoodCloud, this organization has a deep commitment to supporting the local food system in Ireland. Just from reading the article, it resembles an organization in Pittsburgh, 412 Food Rescue, which supports the local food system in Pittsburgh through an emphasis on reducing food waste through food recovery and distributing excess food to local food banks. Based on your quick review of the article on FoodCloud, identify one commercial opportunity and one commercial challenge they are addressing in their efforts to support local food systems.
A great opportunity for FoodCloud is the innovation of IS systems and other tech. Food collection from massive companies on a massive scale requires incredible coordination to keep costs low and food fresh. Better, faster IS systems that are being developed each day may provide a great means of streamlining their processes. By connecting their suppliers and distributors in a more efficient way, the whole business model of the company can be improved by maximizing the supply chain. One of the great challenges for FoodCloud is becoming self-sustainable. It has always run off of donations, with a long term goal of procuring a viable income. The challenge is competing with the financial ease of trashing food waste. Their suppliers currently donate food to the organization, but have little drive to pay them. They are starting to tackle this, as Nestle Ireland has just agreed to pay them for waste redistribution.
Questions For The Site Visit: Finally, acting as members of consulting teams that might choose to write a group paper about the commercial opportunities and challenges connected to FoodCloud, what specific questions do you have about the business model for FoodCloud that relate to our course material (Triple Bottom Line and sustainability, market segmentation, maximization versus shared value, etc.)? Give us a specific question for tomorrow’s visit.
What does a pitch look like to a potential supplier?
How do you maximize your process with technology?
Are you ready to take your model out of the British Isles?