Working alongside Espigoladors on their COVID-19 solidarity campaign, #ConservesQueCuiden (#WholesomePreserves)

Launching the solidarity campaign #ConservesQueCuiden

Besides continuing to support the agricultural sector and keeping all its regular initiatives active, the Espigoladors Foundation has currently opened their workshop to launch a new solidarity campaign called #ConservesQueCuiden.

The aim of this campaign is to transform staple produce with a high nutritional value into vegetable creams and fruit compotes, bearing messages of hope on the packaging under the slogan #TotAniràBé. These products are subsequently delivered to people who are in a vulnerable, precarious situation, and who do not have access to a healthy diet. This situation has been fairly aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign has been possible thanks to the collaboration of social entities, such as Amics de la gent gran, Fundació Arrels, Assís Center d’Acollida, Càritas, Food for Good or Nutrició Sense Fronteres, among others.

In addition, this campaign also guarantees a number of jobs at the foundation’s workshop, a space which also promotes labour insertion.

To ensure that the creams and compotes reach the maximum number of people, Espigoladors needs the continuous support of citizens and companies to make sure that no one is left behind, and to help alleviate the effects of COVID-19 in vulnerable populations.

Therefore, the Foundation has created a series of donation kits to raise funds that will help guarantee and improve the diet of people in need.

Five years collaborating with Espigoladors

In 2015 we started working with the non-profit foundation Espigoladors, by creating the point-of-sale displays for their es im-perfect® products. With this pretext, we carried out the first phase of brand conceptualisation, developed the storytelling –which revolves around second opportunities of fruits and vegetables, as well as of the people who work at the foundation– and established the communication tone, which has remained up-to-date so far.

Since then, we have continued collaborating with the foundation and its brand es im-perfect®. We redesigned their brand identities and packaging, conceptualised and designed their communication materials with the aim to add value ​​and achieve a high social impact, either in the way products are marketed, and in the campaigns carried out alongside a number of private companies (i.e. creating Christmas gifts, personalised packs, preservation recipe books, etc.).

Likewise, last year, our founder and CEO, Sisón Pujol, became part of the foundation’s board of trustees. As a member, one of her main functions will be to engage in helping with the tasks of communication in the entity’s actions.

What is the Espigoladors Foundation about?

Since 2014 Espigoladors has been fighting against food waste while empowering people at risk of social exclusion in a transformative, participatory, inclusive and sustainable way.

The project is based on three main pillars: reducing food waste, guaranteeing access to healthy and nutritious food for people who are in a vulnerable situation, and generating new opportunities by empowering people at risk of social exclusion.

In order to raise awareness and gather communities around more sustainable consumption habits, their volunteer gleaners –with the participation of producers and collaborating companies– collect unattractive and imperfect fruits and vegetables which cannot otherwise be commercialised due to a merely aesthetic reason. It also collects produce that comes from surpluses of companies, producers and other businesses, providing it with a second opportunity. This produce is then channelled over to social organisations or is transformed into es im-perfect® products.

At their workshop, located in El Prat de Llobregat, a new opportunity is given to this unattractive produce by turning fruit into jams, and veggies into natural crafty patés. They are later sold under the brand es im-perfect®, a brand which is endorsed by chef Ada Parellada. Furthermore, people at risk of social exclusion are encouraged to participate in the product transformation process.

The Espigoladors Foundation also works to raise awareness through workshops and activities (harvesting actions i.e. “espigoladas”) intended for children, teenagers, adults, and businesses in which a healthy lifestyle is encouraged through changes in our food consumption habits.