I was sure Indian bakeries wouldn't care about food waste. 8 weeks in, they proved me completely wrong.
▲ 245 r/Hyderabad_city+2 crossposts

I was sure Indian bakeries wouldn't care about food waste. 8 weeks in, they proved me completely wrong.

8 weeks ago we launched Replate in Hyderabad. The idea was simple: bakeries and restaurants pack whatever hasn't sold by closing into a "Surprise Bag," and you buy it for a fraction of what it's worth(1/3 of the price) and collect it before they shut.

I want to share what I got wrong, because it's not what I expected.

Going in, my biggest fear wasn't customers. It was the bakeries. This model works in Europe and the US, but I genuinely doubted it would work here. I kept thinking, will Indian bakeries actually care about food waste? Is that even a thing people think about? I went ahead anyway, but I was braced for a lot of doors closing.

So when I pitched, I always led with money. "You'll recover the cost of food you're currently writing off." That was my whole angle, because I assumed the commercial argument was the only one that would land.

And then something happened that I didn't see coming.

Almost every owner I spoke to cared more about the food being eaten than the money. But the part that really got me was what a few of them said about their chefs. When you spend your morning baking something and then watch it get cleared out at closing, it quietly wears you down. One owner told me his kitchen team's morale visibly lifted once the bags started going out, because the thing they made was actually being eaten by someone. That's not a business case. That's just people caring about their work.

I had completely underestimated that. I thought I'd have to convince people that food waste mattered. Turns out plenty of them were already bothered by it and just had no way to do anything about it.

Where we are now, 8 weeks in:

  • 1,000+ bags rescued
  • 30+ partner outlets
  • around 90% of bags selling out, usually within minutes
  • 47% of customers come back and buy again

That repeat number is the one I'm proudest of, because it means people aren't doing this once out of curiosity. They're building it into their week.

Yesterday was Independence Day, and it happened to land right around our 2-month mark, which made me a bit reflective. There's a version of India I kept hearing about before I started this, where nobody cares about sustainability and nothing like this could work. That has not been my experience at all. Something is genuinely shifting, and it's been a privilege to see it up close from behind a bakery counter at 9pm.

We've also just launched our iOS app, which makes grabbing a bag much easier than the WhatsApp scramble we've been running. Android is in the final stage of approval and should be out very soon. Until then WhatsApp still works exactly as before.

iOS app: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/replate-india/id6787093258
WhatsApp group (Join Any) 1- https://chat.whatsapp.com/LbPpgekuCrwC6ngijoFk2Q?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

2 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/FJtNL27UKrAAazhL1vTraz?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Thanks Hyderabad. Genuinely didn't expect this response.

u/KaranGujral03 — 4 days ago

We're launching something in Bangalore tomorrow and I'm terrified and excited at the same time

Few months ago I was sitting at a Starbucks at midnight and watched an employee throw away a full tray of croissants, Cupcakes, sandwiches. Asked him why and he said it's company policy - everything goes in the bin as it's the surplus food for the day and we are closing.

That bothered me enough that spent two months visiting bakeries across Indiranagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout asking the same question. Thom's, Glen Bakehouse, Old madras baking company, Barbeque nations, starbucks etc and same answer everywhere. Everything unsold gets thrown away every single night.

So we built Replate. Premium bakeries and resturants pack their end of day surplus into a surprise bag worth ₹300-600 (3X Value) and list it on our WhatsApp Group. You claim it, pay ₹99-199, walk in at closing time and collect. You know the brand, not the contents. Could be croissants, could be brownies, could be focaccia, Pastries, cakes all depends on what's left that day (sweet and savoury)

We launch tomorrow in Indiranagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout area.

800 + people have already joined the WhatsApp community. Bags from Premium bakeries in Bangalore will go live at 7:00pm. First come first served.

If you live anywhere near those areas and want to grab a bag tomorrow - Join any Group

Group 1: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KxGztTQQPfi8K9Xq6dz51Z?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Group 2: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KqTiLM5cC4cE7lTLl9rQj0?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Genuinely nervous and excited. Bangalore let's see how this goes.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 20 days ago

We're launching something in Bangalore tomorrow and I'm terrified and excited at the same time

Few months ago I was sitting at a Starbucks at midnight and watched an employee throw away a full tray of croissants, Cupcakes, sandwiches. Asked him why and he said it's company policy - everything goes in the bin as it's the surplus food for the day and we are closing.

That bothered me enough that spent two months visiting bakeries across Indiranagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout asking the same question. Thom's, Glen Bakehouse, Old madras baking company, Barbeque nations, starbucks etc and same answer everywhere. Everything unsold gets thrown away every single night.

So we built Replate. Premium bakeries and resturants pack their end of day surplus into a surprise bag worth ₹300-600 (3X Value) and list it on our WhatsApp Group. You claim it, pay ₹99-199, walk in at closing time and collect. You know the brand, not the contents. Could be croissants, could be brownies, could be focaccia, Pastries, cakes all depends on what's left that day (sweet and savoury)

We launch tomorrow in Indiranagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout area.

800 + people have already joined the WhatsApp community. Bags from Premium bakeries in Bangalore will go live at 7:00pm. First come first served.

If you live anywhere near those areas and want to grab a bag tomorrow - Join any Group

Group 1: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KxGztTQQPfi8K9Xq6dz51Z?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Group 2: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KqTiLM5cC4cE7lTLl9rQj0?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Genuinely nervous and excited. Bangalore let's see how this goes.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 20 days ago

We're launching something in Bangalore tomorrow and I'm terrified and excited at the same time

Few months ago I was sitting at a Starbucks at midnight and watched an employee throw away a full tray of croissants, Cupcakes, sandwiches. Asked him why and he said it's company policy - everything goes in the bin as it's the surplus food for the day and we are closing.

That bothered me enough that spent two months visiting bakeries across Indiranagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout asking the same question. Thom's, Glen Bakehouse, Old madras baking company, Barbeque nations, starbucks etc and same answer everywhere. Everything unsold gets thrown away every single night.

So we built Replate. Premium bakeries and resturants pack their end of day surplus into a surprise bag worth ₹300-600 (3X Value) and list it on our WhatsApp Group. You claim it, pay ₹99-199, walk in at closing time and collect. You know the brand, not the contents. Could be croissants, could be brownies, could be focaccia, Pastries, cakes all depends on what's left that day (sweet and savoury)

We launch tomorrow in Indiranagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout area.

800 + people have already joined the WhatsApp community. Bags from Premium bakeries in Bangalore will go live at 7:00pm. First come first served.

If you live anywhere near those areas and want to grab a bag tomorrow - Join any Group

Group 1: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KxGztTQQPfi8K9Xq6dz51Z?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Group 2: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KqTiLM5cC4cE7lTLl9rQj0?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Genuinely nervous and excited. Bangalore let's see how this goes.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 20 days ago

We're launching something in Bangalore tomorrow and I'm terrified and excited at the same time

Few months ago I was sitting at a Starbucks at midnight and watched an employee throw away a full tray of croissants, Cupcakes, sandwiches. Asked him why and he said it's company policy - everything goes in the bin as it's the surplus food for the day and we are closing.

That bothered me enough that spent two months visiting bakeries across Indiranagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout asking the same question. Thom's, Glen Bakehouse, Old madras baking company, Barbeque nations, starbucks etc and same answer everywhere. Everything unsold gets thrown away every single night.

So we built Replate. Premium bakeries and resturants pack their end of day surplus into a surprise bag worth ₹300-600 (3X Value) and list it on our WhatsApp Group. You claim it, pay ₹99-199, walk in at closing time and collect. You know the brand, not the contents. Could be croissants, could be brownies, could be focaccia, Pastries, cakes all depends on what's left that day (sweet and savoury)

We launch tomorrow in Indiranagar, Koramangala and HSR Layout area.

800 + people have already joined the WhatsApp community. Bags from Premium bakeries in Bangalore will go live at 7:00pm. First come first served.

If you live anywhere near those areas and want to grab a bag tomorrow - Join any Group

Group 1: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KxGztTQQPfi8K9Xq6dz51Z?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Group 2: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KqTiLM5cC4cE7lTLl9rQj0?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Genuinely nervous and excited. Bangalore let's see how this goes.

And if nothing else every bag claimed is one less bag in the bin. Good food deserves better than that.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 20 days ago

We spent a month selling Hyderabad's leftover bakery food at 70% off. Here's what happened.

Hey Hyderabad,

So about a month ago, two of us started something small. We had noticed that bakeries across the city throw out a shocking amount of perfectly good food at closing time. Croissants, cakes, pastries, all of it fine, all of it heading to the waste because store were closing.

The idea was simple enough. What if bakeries could list whatever was left as a surprise bag, discounted heavily, and people could just book it and pick it up before closing?

Honestly, we were not sure anyone would care. Food sustainability feels like one of those things people nod along to but never actually act on.

We were completely wrong about that.

In one month, this city rescued 650 bags of food. 97% of everything listed got sold. Most bags were gone within four minutes of going live, and on a lot of nights we had more people trying to buy than we had bags available. We have had to turn away hundreds of people simply because the bakeries ran out.

Somewhere in there, that added up to roughly 1.75 tonnes of CO2e avoided and about 6.5 lakh litres of water saved, which is the part that still feels unreal to us. Also around 2.25 lakh rupees that stayed in people's pockets instead of going toward full-price food.

I have attached the numbers as images below because they look better than me typing them out.

The thing that surprised us most was not the sustainability angle though. It was how many people messaged us saying they had been waiting for something like this, or asking us to please get a bakery near their area onboard.

Anyway, we are onboarding more bakeries across the city now, and we have started setting things up in Bangalore too.

If you want in, the app is live on both iOS and Android, and bags are usually between 99 and 179 rupees depending on the bakery. There is also a WhatsApp group where we drop alerts when good stuff goes live, since the better bags genuinely disappear fast.

whatsapp group link 1 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/LbPpgekuCrwC6ngijoFk2Q?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4
whatsapp group link 2 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/L8dBgbKZpNP98djPU2Kf7N?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Happy to answer anything in the comments. And if there is a bakery near you that you think would be good for this, tell us, we will go talk to them.

u/KaranGujral03 — 24 days ago
▲ 156 r/Bengaluru

We saved 700+ bags of food from bakeries in a month.

A couple of months ago I was sitting in a coffee shop in Hyderabad late at night. Around midnight I watched an employee clear out a full tray of croissants, cupcakes and sandwiches. I asked him why they didn't just consume it or give it away, and he said it's company policy, everything unsold at closing has to go.

That stuck with me. So over the next two months I visited bakery after bakery across Hyderabad asking the same question, and I got the same answer everywhere. Everything that doesn't sell by closing is cleared out, every single night. Perfectly good food.

So we built Replate, and here's how it works. Premium bakeries and resturants pack their end-of-day surplus into a "Surprise Bag" worth ₹400 to 700 (3X Value), and list it on our WhatsApp group. You claim one, pay ₹129 to 179, walk in at closing time and collect it. You know the brand, but not exactly what's inside. It could be croissants, could be brownies, focaccia, pastries, cakes, sweet or savoury, all depending on what's left that day. That's kind of the fun of it.

We launched in Hyderabad a month ago and honestly it's gone way beyond what I expected. Around 700+ bags rescued so far, over 95% of every drop selling out, most within minutes. Turns out a lot of people here really care about food waste.

Around the same time I had to make a quick work trip to Bengaluru, and I saw the exact same thing happening there. So now, next weekend, we're bringing Replate to Bengaluru. We're launching with brands like Old Madras Baking Company, Just Bake, Glen's Bakehouse, Sweet Chariot, Barbeque Nation, Bikanervala and more.

We're starting in Indiranagar, Koramangala, HSR Layout and Jayanagar, and then expanding across the city.

Join one of the WhatsApp groups link and I'll be posting the first drops there.

Link 1 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/KqTiLM5cC4cE7lTLl9rQj0?mode=gi_t

Link 2 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/KxGztTQQPfi8K9Xq6dz51Z?mode=gi_t

Genuinely nervous and excited about this one Bengaluru, let's see how it goes.

And if nothing else, every bag someone claims is one less tray cleared out at midnight. Good food deserves better than that.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 1 month ago

We saved 700+ bags of food from bakeries in a month.

A couple of months ago I was sitting in a coffee shop in Hyderabad late at night. Around midnight I watched an employee clear out a full tray of croissants, cupcakes and sandwiches. I asked him why they didn't just consume it or give it away and he said it's company policy and everything unsold at closing has to go.

That stuck with me so over the next two months I visited bakery after bakery across Hyderabad asking the same question, and I got the same answer everywhere. Everything that doesn't sell by closing is cleared out, every single night. Perfectly good food.

So we built Replate and the idea is very simple Premium bakeries and Resturants pack their end-of-day surplus into a "Surprise Bag" worth ₹400 to 700 (3X Value), and list it on our WhatsApp group. You claim one, pay ₹99 to 199, walk in at closing time and collect it. You know the brand, but not exactly what's inside. It could be croissants, could be brownies, focaccia, pastries, cakes, mix of sweet and savoury, all depending on what's left that day. That's kind of the fun of it.

We launched in Hyderabad a month ago and honestly it's gone way beyond what I expected. Around 700+ bags rescued so far, over 95% of every drop selling out, most within minutes. Turns out a lot of people here really care about food waste.

Around the same time I had to make a quick work trip to Bengaluru and I saw the exact same thing happening there. So now, next weekend, we're bringing Replate to Bengaluru. We're launching with brands like Old Madras Baking Company, Just Bake, Glen's Bakehouse, Sweet Chariot, Barbeque Nation, Bikanervala and more.

We're starting in Indiranagar, Koramangala, HSR Layout and Jayanagar, and then expanding across the city.

Genuinely nervous and excited about this one. Bengaluru, let's see how it goes.

And if nothing else, every bag someone claims is one less tray cleared out at midnight. Good food deserves better than that.

Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 1 month ago

We saved 700+ bags of food from bakeries in 1 month

couple of months ago I was sitting in a coffee shop in Hyderabad late at night. Around midnight I watched an employee clear out a full tray of croissants, cupcakes and sandwiches. I asked him why they didn't just consume it or give it away, and he said it's company policy, everything unsold at closing has to go.

That stuck with me. So over the next two months I visited bakery after bakery across Hyderabad asking the same question, and I got the same answer everywhere. Everything that doesn't sell by closing is cleared out, every single night. Perfectly good food.

So we built Replate, and here's how it works. Premium bakeries and resturants pack their end-of-day surplus into a "Surprise Bag" worth ₹400 to 700 (3X Value), and list it on our WhatsApp group. You claim one, pay ₹129 to 179, walk in at closing time and collect it. You know the brand, but not exactly what's inside. It could be croissants, could be brownies, focaccia, pastries, cakes, sweet or savoury, all depending on what's left that day. That's kind of the fun of it.

We launched in Hyderabad a month ago and honestly it's gone way beyond what I expected. Around 700+ bags rescued so far, over 95% of every drop selling out, most within minutes. Turns out a lot of people here really care about food waste.

Around the same time I had to make a quick work trip to Bangalore, and I saw the exact same thing happening there. So now, next weekend, we're bringing Replate to Bangalore. We're launching with brands like Old Madras Baking Company, Just Bake, Glen's Bakehouse, Sweet Chariot, Barbeque Nation, Bikanervala and more.

We're starting in Indiranagar, Koramangala, HSR Layout and Jayanagar, and then expanding across the city. If you live near any of those and want to grab a bag next weekend, join one of the WhatsApp groups and I'll be posting the first drops there.

Link 1 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/KqTiLM5cC4cE7lTLl9rQj0?mode=gi_t

Link 2 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/KxGztTQQPfi8K9Xq6dz51Z?mode=gi_t

Genuinely nervous and excited about this one. Bangalore, let's see how it goes.

And if nothing else, every bag someone claims is one less tray cleared out at midnight. Good food deserves better than that.

Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 1 month ago

We saved 700+ bags of food from bakeries in 1 month

A couple of months ago I was sitting in a coffee shop in Hyderabad late at night. Around midnight I watched an employee clear out a full tray of croissants, cupcakes and sandwiches. I asked him why they didn't just consume it or give it away, and he said it's company policy, everything unsold at closing has to go.

That stuck with me. So over the next two months I visited bakery after bakery across Hyderabad asking the same question, and I got the same answer everywhere. Everything that doesn't sell by closing is cleared out, every single night. Perfectly good food.

So we built Replate, and here's how it works. Premium bakeries and resturants pack their end-of-day surplus into a "Surprise Bag" worth ₹400 to 700 (3X Value), and list it on our WhatsApp group. You claim one, pay ₹129 to 179, walk in at closing time and collect it. You know the brand, but not exactly what's inside. It could be croissants, could be brownies, focaccia, pastries, cakes, sweet or savoury, all depending on what's left that day. That's kind of the fun of it.

We launched in Hyderabad a month ago and honestly it's gone way beyond what I expected. Around 700+ bags rescued so far, over 95% of every drop selling out, most within minutes. Turns out a lot of people here really care about food waste.

Around the same time I had to make a quick work trip to Bangalore, and I saw the exact same thing happening there. So now, next weekend, we're bringing Replate to Bangalore. We're launching with brands like Old Madras Baking Company, Just Bake, Glen's Bakehouse, Sweet Chariot, Barbeque Nation, Bikanervala and more.

We're starting in Indiranagar, Koramangala, HSR Layout and Jayanagar, and then expanding across the city. If you live near any of those and want to grab a bag next weekend, join one of the WhatsApp groups and I'll be posting the first drops there.

Link 1 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/KqTiLM5cC4cE7lTLl9rQj0?mode=gi_t

Link 2 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/KxGztTQQPfi8K9Xq6dz51Z?mode=gi_t

Genuinely nervous and excited about this one. Bangalore, let's see how it goes.

And if nothing else, every bag someone claims is one less tray cleared out at midnight. Good food deserves better than that.

Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 1 month ago

We saved 700+ bags of food from bakeries in 1 month

A couple of months ago I was sitting in a coffee shop in Hyderabad late at night. Around midnight I watched an employee clear out a full tray of croissants, cupcakes and sandwiches. I asked him why they didn't just consume it or give it away, and he said it's company policy, everything unsold at closing has to go.

That stuck with me. So over the next two months I visited bakery after bakery across Hyderabad asking the same question, and I got the same answer everywhere. Everything that doesn't sell by closing is cleared out, every single night. Perfectly good food.

So we built Replate. Premium bakeries and resturants pack their end-of-day surplus into a "Surprise Bag" worth ₹400 to 700 (3X Value), and list it on our WhatsApp group. You claim one, pay ₹129 to 179, walk in at closing time and collect it. You know the brand, but not exactly what's inside. It could be croissants, could be brownies, focaccia, pastries, cakes, sweet or savoury, all depending on what's left that day. That's kind of the fun of it.

We launched in Hyderabad a month ago and honestly it's gone way beyond what I expected. Around 700+ bags rescued so far, over 95% of every drop selling out, most within minutes. Turns out a lot of people here really care about food waste.

Around the same time I had to make a quick work trip to Bangalore, and I saw the exact same thing happening there. So now, next weekend, we're bringing Replate to Bangalore. We're launching with brands like Old Madras Baking Company, Just Bake, Glen's Bakehouse, Sweet Chariot, Barbeque Nation, Bikanervala and more.

We're starting in Indiranagar, Koramangala, HSR Layout and Jayanagar, and then expanding across the city. If you live near any of those and want to grab a bag next weekend, join one of the WhatsApp groups and I'll be posting the first drops there.

Link 1 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/KqTiLM5cC4cE7lTLl9rQj0?mode=gi_t

Link 2 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/KxGztTQQPfi8K9Xq6dz51Z?mode=gi_t

Genuinely nervous and excited about this one. Bangalore, let's see how it goes.

And if nothing else, every bag someone claims is one less tray cleared out at midnight. Good food deserves better than that.

Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 1 month ago

We've saved 500+ bags of food from Hyderabad bakeries in 3 weeks

Hey guys it's been 3 weeks since we launched Replate in Hyderabad and honestly I'm a little blown away

For anyone new here - the idea is simple. Bakeries and restaurants make fresh food every day, and whatever doesn't sell by closing just gets thrown out because there are closing the store. We pack it into a "Surprise Bag" worth around ₹400–600 (3x Value) and you grab it for ₹129–169. You don't know exactly what's inside, that's the fun part. Same-day fresh, just the surplus.

3 weeks in:

  • 500+ bags rescued across 17 outlets
  • most drops sell out in under 3 minutes
  • demand's been running about 2.3x what our partners can supply

Honestly the thing that's gotten to me is how much people here actually care about food waste. I expected people to come for the deal, but so many come for the "I stopped good food going Ito waste just because store is closing" feeling too. Didn't see that coming. 🌱

We're live with Bakelore, Brown Bear Bakers, Funnel Hill Creamery and Bikanervala, and adding a bunch more soon - buffets like AB's and Barbeque Nation, and bakeries like Roast, Concu and Swiss Castle.

Couple of updates:

  • our mobile app goes live next weekend
  • and we're launching in Bangalore soon (Bangalore folks, hang tight, it's coming)

If you want in - I post the day's deals every evening on our WhatsApp group from 7 pm, plus I'll announce the app launch there.

Link 1 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/LbPpgekuCrwC6ngijoFk2Q?mode=gi_t

Link 2 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/L8dBgbKZpNP98djPU2Kf7N?mode=gi_t

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 1 month ago
▲ 141 r/hyderabad

We've saved 500+ bags of food from Hyderabad bakeries in 3 weeks

Hey guys it's been 3 weeks since we launched Replate in Hyderabad and honestly I'm a little blown away

For anyone new here - the idea is simple. Bakeries and restaurants make fresh food every day, and whatever doesn't sell by closing just gets thrown out because there are closing the store. We pack it into a "Surprise Bag" worth around ₹400–600 (3x Value) and you grab it for ₹129–169. You don't know exactly what's inside, that's the fun part. Same-day fresh, just the surplus.

3 weeks in:

  • 500+ bags rescued across 17 outlets
  • most drops sell out in under 3 minutes
  • demand's been running about 2.3x what our partners can supply

Honestly the thing that's gotten to me is how much people here actually care about food waste. I expected people to come for the deal, but so many come for the "I stopped good food going Ito waste just because store is closing" feeling too. Didn't see that coming. 🌱

We're live with Bakelore, Brown Bear Bakers, Funnel Hill Creamery and Bikanervala, and adding a bunch more soon - buffets like AB's and Barbeque Nation, and bakeries like Roast, Concu and Swiss Castle.

Couple of updates:

  • our mobile app goes live next weekend
  • and we're launching in Bangalore soon (Bangalore folks, hang tight, it's coming)

If you want in - I post the day's deals every evening on our WhatsApp group from 7 pm, plus I'll announce the app launch there.💚

Link 1 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/LbPpgekuCrwC6ngijoFk2Q?mode=gi_t

Link 2 - https://chat.whatsapp.com/L8dBgbKZpNP98djPU2Kf7N?mode=gi_t

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 1 month ago

Hey guys, we did it 🥐🌱

Exactly 7 days ago I launched Replate in Hyderabad and honestly I was terrified nobody would show up. Seven days later I'm sitting here in disbelief.

100% sell-through. Every single bag, every single night, for 7 days straight.

Here's what this community pulled off in one week:
🍞 200 Surprise Bags rescued
🥐 ~100 kg of good food saved from the bin
🌍 ~250 kg CO₂ emissions avoided
💧 ~50,000 litres of water saved
🍽️ 200+ meals rescued
💰 ~₹30,000 saved for people across the city

We started with premium bakeries like Bakelore, Brown Bear Bakers and Hole in the Wall - and along the way even added restaurants like Bikanervala. Just Bake, Almond House and Karachi Bakery are joining soon.

If you're new to this - the idea is simple. Bakeries and restaurants make fresh food every day and whatever doesn't sell by closing goes waste because it's closing time for them. We pack it into a Surprise Bag worth around ₹500 and you grab it for just ₹149. You don't know exactly what's inside that's the fun part. Same-day fresh, just surplus.

I was genuinely scared to launch this. But you all proved something I believed from day one - perfectly good food should never be wasted.

Our first WhatsApp group filled up completely (didn't see that coming either), so I've made two more. Join here and grab good food at a fraction of the price while saving the planet a little:

Link 1 – https://chat.whatsapp.com/L8dBgbKZpNP98djPU2Kf7N?mode=gi_t

Link 2 – https://chat.whatsapp.com/LbPpgekuCrwC6ngijoFk2Q?mode=gi_t

Thank you Hyderabad. This is just the beginning 🌱

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 2 months ago
▲ 30 r/HyderabadRentals+1 crossposts

Hey guys, we did it 🥐🌱

Exactly 7 days ago I launched Replate in Hyderabad and honestly I was terrified nobody would show up. Seven days later I'm sitting here in disbelief.

100% sell-through. Every single bag, every single night, for 7 days straight.

Here's what this community pulled off in one week:
🍞 200 Surprise Bags rescued
🥐 ~100 kg of good food saved from the bin
🌍 ~250 kg CO₂ emissions avoided
💧 ~50,000 litres of water saved
🍽️ 200+ meals rescued
💰 ~₹30,000 saved for people across the city

We started with premium bakeries like Bakelore, Brown Bear Bakers and Hole in the Wall - and along the way even added restaurants like Bikanervala. Just Bake, Almond House and Karachi Bakery are joining soon.

If you're new to this - the idea is simple. Bakeries and restaurants make fresh food every day and whatever doesn't sell by closing goes waste because it's closing time for them. We pack it into a Surprise Bag worth around ₹500 and you grab it for just ₹149. You don't know exactly what's inside that's the fun part. Same-day fresh, just surplus.

I was genuinely scared to launch this. But you all proved something I believed from day one - perfectly good food should never be wasted.

Our first WhatsApp group filled up completely (didn't see that coming either), so I've made two more. Join here and grab good food at a fraction of the price while saving the planet a little:

Link 1 – https://chat.whatsapp.com/L8dBgbKZpNP98djPU2Kf7N?mode=gi_t

Link 2 – https://chat.whatsapp.com/LbPpgekuCrwC6ngijoFk2Q?mode=gi_t

Thank you Hyderabad. This is just the beginning 🌱

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 2 months ago

We're launching something in Hyderabad tomorrow and I'm terrified and excited at the same time

Few months ago I was sitting at a Starbucks in Gachibowli at midnight and watched an employee throw away a full tray of croissants, Cupcakes, sandwhiches. Asked him why and he said it's company policy - everything goes in the bin as it's the surplus food for the day and we are closing.

That bothered me enough that spent two months visiting bakeries across Madhapur, Gachibowli and Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills asking the same question. Bakelore, The Chocolate Room, Brown Bear Bakers, Hole in the Wall etc and same answer everywhere. Everything unsold gets thrown away every single night.

So we built Replate. Premium bakeries pack their end of day surplus into a surprise bag worth ₹300-600 (3X Value) and list it on our WhatsApp Group. You claim it, pay ₹99-169, walk in at closing time and collect. You know the brand, not the contents. Could be croissants, could be brownies, could be focaccia, Pastries, cakes all depends on what's left that day (sweet and savoury)

We launch this Friday in Madhapur, Gachibowli and Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills.

300 + people have already joined the WhatsApp community. Bags from Premium bakeries in Hyderabad will go live at 6:30pm. First come first served.

If you live anywhere near those areas and want to grab a bag on Friday - https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb8ASnC4inozKeDokf3n

Genuinely nervous and excited. Hyderabad let's see how this goes.

And if nothing else every bag claimed is one less bag in the bin. Good food deserves better than that.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 2 months ago
▲ 299 r/hyderabad

We're launching something in Hyderabad this Friday and I'm terrified and excited at the same time

Few months ago I was sitting at a Starbucks in Gachibowli at midnight and watched an employee throw away a full tray of croissants, Cupcakes, sandwhiches. Asked him why and he said it's company policy - everything goes in the bin as it's the surplus food for the day and we are closing.

That bothered me enough that spent two months visiting bakeries across Madhapur, Gachibowli and Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills asking the same question. Bakelore, The Chocolate Room, Brown Bear Bakers, Hole in the Wall etc and same answer everywhere. Everything unsold gets thrown away every single night.

So we built Replate. Premium bakeries pack their end of day surplus into a surprise bag worth ₹300-600 (3X Value) and list it on our WhatsApp Group. You claim it, pay ₹99-169, walk in at closing time and collect. You know the brand, not the contents. Could be croissants, could be brownies, could be focaccia, Pastries, cakes all depends on what's left that day (sweet and savoury)

We launch this Friday in Madhapur, Gachibowli and Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills.

300 + people have already joined the WhatsApp community. Bags from Premium bakeries in Hyderabad will go live at 6:30pm. First come first served.

If you live anywhere near those areas and want to grab a bag on Friday - join here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kk6KX9fzBtp8EXOeU2Ozqs?mode=gi_t

Genuinely nervous and excited. Hyderabad let's see how this goes.

And if nothing else every bag claimed is one less bag in the bin. Good food deserves better than that.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 2 months ago

Hey everyone! Exciting news - we are launching Replate in 7 days 🍩

A few weeks ago I posted here about all the food premium bakeries throw away every night and what we’re building to fix it. The response genuinely surprised me hundreds of you joined the WhatsApp community, dropped suggestions, asked sharp questions.

Quick update - we’re launching in 7 days.

You’ll be able to grab surprise bags from bakeries like Bakelore, The Chocolate Room, Brown Bear Bakers and Hole in the Wall, Almond house etc for ₹129-179 - stuff worth ₹500-600 that would otherwise be destroyed at closing time. Starting in Madhapur, Gachibowli, Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills.

If you missed the original post, here’s the context: https://www.reddit.com/r/hyderabad/s/zek3zOX1Tv

And if you want in when we go live, join the WhatsApp community here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kk6KX9fzBtp8EXOeU2Ozqs?s=cl&p=i&ilr=2&amv=2

Genuinely couldn’t have got this far without the early support from this sub. One question for those who joined - which bakery are you most excited to grab a bag from? Curious what people actually want.

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 2 months ago

Why is everyone throwing good food away in Hyderabad?

A few days ago, I was sitting at Starbucks near Gachibowli late at night having a coffee and I saw an employee throwing croissants, sandwiches, muffins, and other food items into the bin. It was bit confusing and I casually asked him why he is doing that, and they told me the store was closing and it was all the day's surplus food. I asked why they didn't consume it or give it away, and they said it's company policy to throw away all leftovers. That got me thinking is everyone doing this ? Over the next few weeks, I visited several premium bakeries across Madhapur, Gachibowli, Jubilee Hills, and Banjara Hills and spoke with owners and staff. Almost everyone told me the same thing: whatever doesn't get sold by closing time gets thrown away. Personally, I care a lot about food sustainability, and in a country where so many people still sleep hungry, seeing perfectly good food end up in the trash felt wrong. So my friends and I started talking to these bakeries and pitched a simple idea: right now you're throwing this food away, what if we buy the surplus inventory at cost price? You recover some of your costs, reduce waste, and the food actually gets consumed. Surprisingly, many bakery owners were happy with the initiative.

Over the past few weeks we partner with bakeries like Hole in the Wall, Bakelore, The Chocolate Room, Old Madras Baking Company, Conçu, Brown Bear Bakers, Almond House and others can create a Surprise Bag concept using their unsold items at the end of the day. These bags could contain pastries, sandwiches, donuts, desserts, breads, and other sweet or savory products from the particular brand worth around ₹500, and customers can buy them for just ₹149, giving them more than 70% off. Customers will know the bakery but not exactly what's inside since it depends on that day's surplus inventory. The bakery informs us a few hours before closing how many bags are available, and customers can simply walk in around 7-9 PM and collect them. It's a win for customers, a win for bakeries, and most importantly, a win for the environment because less food ends up in landfills.

We've already created a local community where we'll be posting available bags, and we're planning to start operations in less than two weeks. If this resonates with you and you'd like to try it out, feel free to join our WhatsApp channel. Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

WhatsApp link -  https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kk6KX9fzBtp8EXOeU2Ozqs?s=cl&p=i&ilr=2&amv=2

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 2 months ago

Why is everyone throwing good food away in Hyderabad?

A few days ago, I was sitting at Starbucks near Gachibowli late at night having a coffee and I saw an employee throwing croissants, sandwiches, muffins, and other food items into the bin. It was bit confusing and I casually asked him why he is doing that, and they told me the store was closing and it was all the day's surplus food. I asked why they didn't consume it or give it away, and they said it's company policy to throw away all leftovers. That got me thinking is everyone doing this ? Over the next few weeks, I visited several premium bakeries across Madhapur, Gachibowli, Jubilee Hills, and Banjara Hills and spoke with owners and staff. Almost everyone told me the same thing: whatever doesn't get sold by closing time gets thrown away. Personally, I care a lot about food sustainability, and in a country where so many people still sleep hungry, seeing perfectly good food end up in the trash felt wrong. So my friends and I started talking to these bakeries and pitched a simple idea: right now you're throwing this food away, what if we buy the surplus inventory at cost price? You recover some of your costs, reduce waste, and the food actually gets consumed. Surprisingly, many bakery owners were happy with the initiative.

Over the past few weeks we partner with bakeries like Hole in the Wall, Bakelore, The Chocolate Room, Old Madras Baking Company, Conçu, Brown Bear Bakers, Almond House and others can create a Surprise Bag concept using their unsold items at the end of the day. These bags could contain pastries, sandwiches, donuts, desserts, breads, and other sweet or savory products from the particular brand worth around ₹500, and customers can buy them for just ₹149, giving them more than 70% off. Customers will know the bakery but not exactly what's inside since it depends on that day's surplus inventory. The bakery informs us a few hours before closing how many bags are available, and customers can simply walk in around 7-9 PM and collect them. It's a win for customers, a win for bakeries, and most importantly, a win for the environment because less food ends up in landfills.

We've already created a local community where we'll be posting available bags, and we're planning to start operations in less than two weeks. If this resonates with you and you'd like to try it out, feel free to join our WhatsApp channel. Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

WhatsApp link - https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kk6KX9fzBtp8EXOeU2Ozqs?s=cl&p=i&ilr=2&amv=2

reddit.com
u/KaranGujral03 — 2 months ago