OUR SOLUTION FOR GROCERY

HOW PEMBERTON FARMS CUT WASTE WITHOUT ADDING WORK

THEIR RESULTS

• $47,659 in Revenue. Earned from Surprise Bags filled with surplus groceries and prepared foods.
• 12,280 Meals Saved. Surplus food redirected to new customers instead of going to waste.
• 87% Customer Return Rate. Most customers who discovered the store through Too Good To Go said they’d return again.

“Too Good To Go has done so many other things for our business that we never could have put a metric on in the beginning. One of the biggest things is just how much foot traffic gets pushed into the store. And once people are in here, we pride ourselves on being the kind of place where the whole store becomes an impulse buy.”

-Greg Saidnawey, Store Manager at Pemberton Farms

The Challenge: Growth Was Great — Until It Created a Waste Problem

As business boomed, Pemberton Farms had to keep more product stocked and ready at all times, but that flexibility created a new problem: surplus food and no clear path for where it should go.

Unlike larger grocers, they didn’t have trucks for redistribution, composting partners, or waste recovery infrastructure, and with trash bills hitting nearly $3,000 a month, those extra products were costing more than just shelf space. Pemberton Farms needed a simple solution that could help cut food waste, reclaim value, and reduce costs without adding work for staff.

The GOALS

As the team looked for ways to manage surplus and scale more efficiently, they had a few clear priorities in mind.

• Minimize Product Loss: Reduce shrink from daily overstock across departments.
• Reduce Trash Costs: Offset high monthly trash bills by recovering food with resale value.
• Serve More Customers: Bring new people into the store and give them a reason to return.
• Easy for Staff to Manage: Add a recovery solution that doesn’t slow down the team or require extra labor.

The Results: Using Unsold Food to Drive Foot Traffic and Sales

Since partnering with Too Good To Go, Pemberton Farms has turned unsold product into a reliable new revenue stream. They’ve saved over 12,000 meals from going to waste and earned more than $47,000 through Surprise Bags.

Even better, the benefits go beyond the bottom line. Of 1,304 surveyed customers, 87% said they would return to shop again. That repeat interest is translating into real-world behavior — with many customers discovering the store for the first time, coming back more often, and buying more during each visit.

WhY TOo GOOD TO GO?

Too Good To Go helped Pemberton Farms solve an expensive, everyday problem without disrupting operations. The platform was easy to launch, simple for staff to use, and immediately effective at reducing waste and pulling in new customers.

According to Greg Saidnawey, Store Manager at Pemberton Farms, the biggest surprise was just how many people started coming through the door because of the program.

"We realize that it pushed new customers in and it gave people a reason to visit the store maybe twice a week when they would only come once every other week."

Implementation: From First Chat to First Bag

Too Good To Go reached out directly, and Pemberton Farms was live on the app within hours. They took the time to set themselves up for success across the bakery, deli, and prepared foods departments. That meant creating smart storage solutions, training staff on quality standards, and putting a simple rotation schedule in place.

That upfront investment is still paying off. Today, they’ve got a daily rhythm that makes it easy to turn surplus food into extra revenue without adding stress to their operations.

From Surprise Bag to Brand Love

Too Good To Go didn’t just help Pemberton Farms cut waste — it changed how people shop the store. Many customers discovered the business through the app and ended up doing more than just grabbing a bag. The Surprise Bag became a reason to stop by, explore the aisles, and make additional purchases.

"We had creative shoppers who were just curious about the program. Then they’d start thinking — what else can we buy to round out what we got? What can we make a meal out of? And then they’d end up doing the rest of their shopping in the store. That’s kind of our bread and butter Too Good To Go customer.”

The Bottom Line: Less Waste, Lower Costs, and a New Way to Reach Shoppers

Too Good To Go gave Pemberton Farms a simple, effective way to cut food waste and recover value across departments. What started as a way to offload extra inventory has become a dependable driver of foot traffic. The program brings in new customers, encourages return visits, and helps the store turn excess product into meaningful revenue. It supports both their sustainability goals and their day-to-day operations.