Refreshi is an initiative that redistributes food surplus from major food providers in South Africa that would otherwise go to waste, to citizens in the form of Surprise Bags. Following great success in the Western Cape, the initiative officially launched in Joburg in June 2025, making sustainable grocery and food shopping available to shoppers around the city of gold at a fraction of their original prices. Read on to find out more.
How does Refreshi work?
The interactive app aims to solve the crisis of food surplus with one Surprise Bag at a time. Surprise Bags are often filled with a surprise mix of basic grocery essentials or food surplus from various coffee shops, bakeries and restaurants.
Each bag saves food from ending up in the bin and in landfills, businesses save money by reducing their wastage, and customers benefit by getting this surplus food at a reduced price.
Joburgers can order their own Surprise Bag of groceries by downloading the app which is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Once the app has been downloaded, you can:
- Search Surprise Bags available at stores near you
- Confirm your choice, order your food, and pay through the app
- Head to the shop at the specified collection time and enjoy your groceries
Where to find Refreshi Surprise Bags in Joburg
Refreshi Surprise Bags are currently available at Bootlegger (Ridgeview, Bedford Centre, and Sunninghill Village Centre), Kwik Spar (Parkmore) and Krispy Kreme (The Woods Shopping Centre and Rivonia 90) venues in Johannesburg, with more options and locations soon to come.
Fostering a sustainable food market
Nearly 10 million tons of food go to waste annually in South Africa, while an estimated 20 million people go hungry every night.
The concept aims to solve this disparity with their groundbreaking app. So far, since operations began in March 2025 in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, the initiative has amassed over 100+ stores on their system, and 40000+ app downloads, showing there is great demand from consumers, and great demand from stores who want to reduce their food wastage.
Refreshi launched in Durban following their Joburg launch, and plans for more expansion are steadily on the horizon.
Website: refreshi.co.za
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 083 799 6479
Instagram: @refreshi.za
Facebook: @refreshiza
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