Food-Waste Marketplace MVP with Django

Context

The product tested a straightforward idea in Jönköping: give local food businesses a simple way to publish surplus food during a limited collection window, and give nearby customers one place to find it.

I worked on the early web product and kept the implementation deliberately lean so the concept could be tested without a large technical footprint.

Product flow

1. Upload: Participating eateries upload details of their leftover food items during specific time windows (usually between 14:00 and 18:00).
2. Browse: Users can explore available food options on the platform.
3. Order: When you find something you like, simply show your order to the staff at the eatery.
4. Take-Away: Collect your food as a convenient take-away.

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Utilizing Bootstrap for the user interface.
• Backend: Implementing the server-side logic with Django (Python)

Outcome

The platform launched in Jönköping and demonstrated that a narrowly scoped Django product could support a real local marketplace at low operating cost. The company behind the initiative was later acquired; I present that as company context rather than claiming the acquisition as an outcome of the software alone.

When: 2017