Welcome back to RentCulture. In this edition, we are thrilled to feature Roxana Zlate – The Romanian international who founded Madboks Copenhagen to tackle the issue of food waste in Copenhagen.

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So, who is Roxana Zlate?

Roxana moved to Denmark 13 years ago from Romania. She pursued her academic journey at Roskilde University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Cultural Studies in 2018, followed by a master’s in African Studies from the Københavns Universitet – University of Copenhagen.

“My main interests have always been in international development and humanitarian work. I am currently working at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) promoting sexual and reproductive health for women and girls,” Roxana replied when we sat down for an interview.

We asked Roxana about her Danish story and the motivation behind founding Madboks with a mission to reduce food waste and make nutritious meals accessible to everyone.

We are not powerless!

I first heard about Roxana through mutual friends who volunteered at Madboks. When I called for stories of internationals in Denmark, they immediately suggested I meet her. On a relatively cold morning in March, I arrived at a Madboks distribution facility in Nørrebro.

It felt like the city was still waking up from the massive protests it witnessed only a few hours ago to end the genocide in Gaza. The building where I met Roxana too was decorated in protest art. When we walked through the door, I could not believe the scale of this fully volunteer-driven operation.

Here is a glimpse (did you also notice a stray carrot that escaped?):

“One of my classmates in my bachelor’s course gave a passionate speech pointing out the problem of food waste in Denmark. It resonated with me since food insecurity was a big part of growing up for my family in Romania”

Roxana recalls a pivotal moment that led to the founding of Madboks. In 2017, she was involved with Foodsharing Copenhagen, an organization with a simple idea: approach wholesalers and ask if, instead of discarding excess food, they could donate it to those in need.

“I started volunteering along with my classmate who made the speech. Before, I knew it, I was a board member and started managing tasks. I have never shied away from taking charge and taking initiative”, Roxana confesses.

Her time at the Foodsharing Copenhagen was so incredibly impactful that she wanted to do more. “I wanted to approach supermarkets, bakeries and farms. I felt it was time to grow and I took it upon myself to create a positive impact on local communities. We are not powerless”

The Impact of Madboks: Transforming Food Waste into Hope

Since starting operations in 2020, Roxana shared with us that Madboks has now grown to:

• A dedicated pool of 700 registered volunteers who help right from the food collection from supermarkets to distribution.
• The operation has grown now to distribution in three separate locations in Copenhagen.
• They save 1.5-2 tons of food weekly that would end up in a bin otherwise.

How exactly are they doing it?

This is what a box put together by the volunteers looks like. The food boxes are given out on a donation basis, with 25 kr being the recommended donation per box. Donations are their only income to cover their operational and administrative expenses. The groceries that fill these boxes would have usually ended up in a bin for the most outlandish reasons.

“Fruits can be sold individually but supermarkets prefer they are put in a bag. For example, oranges are sold in a netted bag. If one of the oranges in the bag is mouldy, the supermarkets prefer to throw the whole thing out” says Roxana.

It would cost these grocery chains more money and time to open the bags and separate them. They rather throw it all away. From a sustainability point of view, this model is downright atrocious. The majority of this produce comes from southern Europe, South America, Africa and Asia as well. Imagine the CO2 equivalent the operation at Madboks has saved.

To book a box one has to fill in the booking form, select a pickup time from the available time frame, and submit your answers. Bookings are considered automatically confirmed once you have received a copy of your responses by email. If you have not received an email with a copy of your responses, your booking has not gone through and we recommend re-doing it.

Here is a link to the booking form: https://lnk.bio/madboks_kbh

Roxana Zlate emphasizes the importance of seeing an example to ignite the idea for a cause. She recalls her audacity in directly asking supermarkets to partner for food waste solutions and leveraging her background for credibility. Roxana developed the concept as she went, fueled by passion and volunteer support. She highlights the power of initiating conversations and creating spaces for action, which naturally attract people to join and support the cause, as evidenced by the rapid growth of her volunteer community during COVID-19.

Fostering Collaborations for a Good Cause

If you are interested in volunteering your time and helping Madboks prevent more food from ending up in the waste bin:

Sign up here: https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=21366f082c5af1add473caecc&id=35fa4efaa0

Roxana points out, “We usually work in pairs and encourage people to get to know each other. There are always healthy conversations happening and music playing in the background. When I first started volunteering, a big reason was that I felt like an outsider in Denmark and I found my tribe in these spaces”

It is not just individuals but also companies who are taking notice. Another international entrepreneur, angel investor and CEO of Worthmore, Tegan Spinner is currently collaborating with Madboks for a series of events called CheersForChange.

#CheersForChange is more than just a Friday bar with affordable drinks; it’s a mission to transform a night of enjoyment into an opportunity to positively impact communities.

Several companies have collaborated with Madboks to organise sustainability-driven events or have their employees volunteer for a day at Madboks.

Grocery Partners: Netto , REMA 1000 Danmark, SuperBrugsen, Meyers Bageri and Andersen Bakery

Organisations and companies Madboks has collaborated with Crossing Borders, Arla Foods, Re:wair and Miljiopunkt amager

What does the future look like Madboks?

I’m currently waiting to hear back on a few funding applications I submitted over the past couple of months. We’re planning to host a flea market or swap market this summer. Additionally, we want to bring back our popular book swap event, turning it into a community hangout where everyone can join us to exchange books and learn about our volunteer community.

You can follow Madboks on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madboks_kbh/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Madboks