As environmental concerns shape the way we eat and shop, Abhi Ramesh, CEO of Misfits Market, is leading the charge to rethink food waste. Misfits Market isn’t your typical grocery service—it’s a movement focused on rescuing surplus and imperfect produce, turning potential waste into accessible, sustainable food. In this Q&A, Ramesh discusses her ambitious goals, offering insight into how Misfits Market is reshaping the grocery landscape, embedding sustainability into every aspect of their operations, and striking a delicate balance between profit and purpose. Learn how this trailblazing company is disrupting the status quo to build a fairer, greener food system.
Eva Crouse: How do you measure your success in creating a more sustainable future?
Abhi Ramesh: Our team works hard to reduce food waste and loss through our unique sourcing model, making shopping for sustainable, high-quality groceries easier and more affordable. We measure success in our impact by setting goals and tracking progress toward food-saving goals, as we do our other business and financial goals. As an example, last year, we exceeded our goal to save over five pounds of food from a lesser outcome on average with every customer order.
How do you integrate environmental sustainability goals into your business?
We set sustainability and impact goals that are material to our business, building on the impact our business and stakeholders are uniquely positioned to create across all departments. We are the only nationwide e-commerce grocer with a mission to reduce food waste in our sourcing strategy, which our merchandising team makes possible through partnerships with vendors and farmer partners across the country.
In addition, the majority of our customers’ orders are delivered by our own delivery team, meaning we have in-house “reverse,” or “circular,” logistics. Because of this capability, we were able to launch a Packaging Return Program, through which we offer free packaging collection to customers at the time we deliver their next order. We aggregate this packaging—which typically cannot be recycled from our customers’ homes—in large quantities and sanitize and reuse, or recycle these materials on our customers’ behalf. To date, we have collected over 10 million pounds of packaging from our customers.
How do you envision the role of leadership evolving in the coming years, particularly in driving environmental and economic progress? What role should business play in driving social and environmental progress?
Effective leaders in any business must work to drive sustainable practices, not just within their organizations but across entire industries, via partnership and collaboration. For our business, this means finding ways to reduce waste in the food system and our own operations, optimizing supply chains for greater efficiency, and actively working to minimize environmental footprints. Leadership plays a crucial role in driving social and environmental progress by setting ambitious sustainability goals, fostering a culture of transparency and accountability, and collaborating with stakeholders, vendors, and other partners to create impactful change.
How do you balance financial success with a commitment to impact within your organization?
Since our founding, we have been on a mission to positively change the food system, and “do right” by all stakeholders, from farmers to customers and our own employees, too. We have designed our business to be deliberately different from traditional grocery retail in the United States. However, the truth is that no business today, regardless of its mission, can afford to overlook sustainability and climate considerations when setting its goals and vision for the future. Businesses, including our own, must balance economic growth with environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
At Misfits Market, our sustainability targets are created in alignment with our financial goals, whenever possible. In large part, this means that as our business grows, so does our impact. Because as our business grows, so does our ability to purchase more foods that would otherwise be wasted or go to lesser outcomes and support our farmer partners.
Can you share examples of how you’ve collaborated with other industry leaders to address common challenges or opportunities?
We have recently partnered with Gopuff, a consumer goods and food delivery company, to power Gopuff’s fresh grocery assortment. Combining Gopuff’s leading instant delivery with great value driven by Misfits Market’s differentiated sourcing model, the partnership creates access to an extensive range of more than 300 items, including fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, meat, bread, and more for an entirely new customer base. This partnership is a step towards our vision of reimagining the food system and eradicating food waste.
Do you have any upcoming projects that you are particularly excited about?
We recently launched a membership program, Misfits+, to better serve our customers. We have designed this program to drive food access and address hunger in partnership with our member customers: For each Misfits+ order placed, we make a donation to Feeding America that helps provide 2+ meals to people facing hunger. 90% of this donation will go to a local partner Feeding America food bank, and 10% of the donation will support the activities of the Feeding America national organization. This is one way we are working towards our vision to create a more sustainable food system, where no one faces hunger.
Our motto here is “Worth Beyond Wealth.” Does that resonate with you, and if so, in what capacity?
This motto is very resonant for our business! At Misfits Market, our vision is to reimagine the food system and build a sustainable system that eliminates food waste. “Worth Beyond Wealth” aligns with our commitment to reducing food waste and loss, supporting and collaborating with our farmers and vendors, and providing affordable, high-quality foods to more people across the United States.
