Gaspillage alimentaire, Freshflow déploie son IA dans les rayons frais et lève 6,5 millions d’euros

In Europe, the fresh produce sections of supermarkets represent a technological challenge. Despite their strategic importance in attracting customers and impacting margins, ordering ultra-fresh products is still often based on intuition by section managers or through unsuitable generic tools. This contributes to the wastage of over 4.5 million tonnes of fresh products annually , accounting for 5% of total food waste.

Freshflow , a Berlin-based startup founded in 2021, addresses this issue by deploying its artificial intelligence solution dedicated to ordering fresh products in European supermarkets. The company has recently raised €6.5 million to expand its operations.

Unlike general forecasting software, Freshflow's technology integrates the specifics of ultra-perishable products such as short shelf life, fine seasonality, multiple local suppliers, checkout errors, and temperature variations. Its probabilistic AI engine automates daily ordering decisions , adapting to real-time store data.

Already implemented in Carrefour, Edeka, Intermarché , and L. Stroetmann , Freshflow reports a 93% acceptance rate of its recommendations by in-store teams , a 20% average reduction in waste , and a 2-5% increase in revenue in the relevant sections.

Freshflow's position is not yet widely covered in France . While several French startups tackle food waste, their approaches vary:

Smartway focuses on end-of-life unsold management by automating markdowns and revaluing near-expiry products. Phenix operates on post-waste management by organizing donations or discounted sales of unsold items. Vekia and Lokad offer AI forecasting solutions for supply chains , primarily targeting warehouses or e-commerce without specific focus on the fresh section in stores.

Freshflow finds itself in a strategic niche that balances ecological impact, operational productivity, and net margins.

In May 2025, Freshflow raised €6.5 million in a round co-led by WORLD FUND, CAPNAMIC, and VENTURE STARS, with participation from CAESAR VENTURES. This round brings the total funding to €8.7 million since its inception by AVIK MUKHIJA , a machine learning engineer. The startup currently employs 24 people and aims to reach 50 by the end of 2026 , while planning to expand into new categories such as meat, dairy, and bakery, and introducing features for warehouse order management. Freshflow is based in Berlin and Paris .

D’après FrenchWeb.