The name Robin Food is eloquent. A group of young Florentines chose him to launch a cooperative of food delivery riders inspired by values uncommon in the industry. A bold initiative that requires the support of all, who are invited to participate in an initial fundraiser.
Robin Food, a different system is possible
The founders of the Robin Food cooperative are all ‘seasoned’ Florentine food delivery drivers. Having experience with the less noble sides of the industry, they decided to set out to overturn the criteria imposed by the better-known giants. Glovo, Deliveroo, Uber, to name the main ones.
‘Working in the home delivery business for years , we have experienced the birth and exponential growth of this industry. This unregulated development has also brought with it many issues, from the lack of worker protections and rights, to increasingly high fees for restaurants, not to forget the age-old issue of taxes, with multinational corporations paying only a tiny percentage of revenues, moreover often in countries where it suits them best‘, the founders write.
The ABCs of sustainable delivery
The sustainable face of food delivery, according to Robin Food, has workplace democracy and worker dignity as its first value, without neglecting the local economy and the local area.
In practical terms, these objectives translate into.
– fairer solutions for restaurateurs, offering them lower commissions and profitable alternatives to those of the multinationals in the industry. Which, during the pandemic, shot up to 43% of the order,
– dignity of employment, assured to all deliverymen by a contract of employment, with hourly payment and all appropriate guarantees,
– taxes paid in Italy. Unlike multinational corporations, which pay little tax in Italy thanks to offices in tax havens, the cooperative ‘reinvests’ taxes in the territory in which it operates,
– attention to the environment, employing only bicycles or electric vehicles for deliveries and favoring environmentally sustainable solutions in the choice of packaging and suppliers,
– Promotion of social initiatives to improve the community.
Robin Food crowdfunding
Reinventing sustainable food delivery requires means. To this end, Robin Food has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Eppela.
The first phase is nearing completion and has raised more than 80 percent of the 5 thousand euros defined as the first step to purchase the electric bikes. We are all invited to make a small contribution to this courageous initiative.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
