A Calgary couple has created a small business using perfectly good produce that merchants struggle to sell.
Chefs Austin Luciow and Erica German of ‘Hipster Nonsense’ create an array of products, ranging from tomato chili jams to pickled apples and pears, using food destined for the dump.
According to Erica, quality produce often ends up in the waste bin due to the fickle nature of consumers and the effort required to repackage undesirable items.
“When producers package stuff up, and they have it all in bags, if one has a little bad spot they don’t want to open it up and repackage it and deal with it so they donate it to the food bank,” explains Erica. “Sometimes (the food bank) doesn’t want it because of the bad spot and then we get it and we cut off the bad spot and we have 80 to 90 per cent that is usable.”
As for the business name, Austin says it was provided by the couple’s naysayers.
“People kept telling us that making our own pickles and jams is just hipster nonsense,” laughs Austin. “It’s just crazy. No one does it themselves anymore.”
“We kind of embraced that name.”
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the Hipster Nonsense booth at the Market on Macleod benefits from its neighbouring vendors. Less than ideal looking produce at the market is seldom purchased, leaving Erica and Austin to save those ‘poor, little, sad, ugly, fruits’ before they end up in the garbage.
Annual food waste in Canada is estimated at $31 billion, approximately $86 per household.
With files from CTV's Brad Macleod
