We’ve seen bicycles used to deliver a variety of products in recent months, including groceries, farm produce and laundry. The latest spotting? Organic soup, made from locally grown produce and delivered each week to subscribers.

Three soups are typically on the menu in any given week at SoupCycle. Consumers who live or [...]]]> Source : http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/soupcycle/

We’ve seen bicycles used to deliver a variety of products in recent months, including groceries, farm produce and laundry. The latest spotting? Organic soup, made from locally grown produce and delivered each week to subscribers.

Three soups are typically on the menu in any given week at SoupCycle. Consumers who live or work in the Portland, Ore., company’s delivery area begin by checking out the selections for the following week and placing their order by midnight on Friday; rustic bread, salad and dressing are also available. With a list of subscribers in hand, SoupCycle then buys the necessary produce from local farmers. On Monday it cooks up those ingredients into delectable soup, and then on Tuesdays it begins its weekly deliveries, with a different delivery day for each area. Pricing ranges from USD 18 for a quart of soup plus bread and salad, which will serve one or two people, to USD 45 for quantities that can serve six; items can also be ordered a la carte. A USD 3 delivery charge applies for orders under USD 18; otherwise, delivery is free. Each of SoupCycle’s trailers can carry some 40 soup containers, 40 bread loaves and 20 salads at once, it says.

Since SoupCycle first launched about a year and a half ago, it has delivered more than 10,000 orders of soup, spent USD 33,000 with local farmers and saved 3,000 gas-powered miles by using bicycles instead. Some 300 subscribers now enjoy its weekly deliveries. One to emulate locally for some piping-hot profits of your own…? (Related: Sustainable baked goods by weekly subscription.)

Website: www.soupcycle.com
Contact: yesplease@soupcycle.com

Spotted by: Anna Brones

California-based Worldbike’s bicycles are [...]]]> We’ve written about a few different efforts to help disadvantaged people in Africa by providing refurbished second-hand bikes from the developed world. Unlike such initiatives from Baisikeli and Bikes for Africa, however, Worldbike designs and distributes brand-new bicycles that are inexpensive and built specifically to withstand harsh rural conditions.

California-based Worldbike’s bicycles are designed to handle large loads, rough terrain and inclement weather. They’re configured to be not only affordable, but also maintained and repaired locally. Through partnerships with international and local agencies, private companies, foundations and NGOs, Worldbike even helps arrange microcredit financing for bike purchases and supplement sales with support from funders and private donors. Its bikes have already been brought to Cuba, Mexico, Rwanda, Senegal and Thailand, among other areas. However, as the company also notes, “the same cargo bike we deliver to rural Africa also turns heads on the streets of Seattle.” An official US version of the bike is now being configured, and proceeds from all purchases will help support bike distribution efforts in Kenya.

A shining example of what our sister site calls the functionall trend, Worldbike has already attracted funding and partnerships with companies and foundations around the world—time to add your brand to that list? Alternatively, how about brainstorming some functionall offerings of your own…? (Related: Single-use toilet bag turns human waste into fertilizer — Water bottle’s plunger-style filter purifies instantly.)

Website: www.worldbike.org
Contact: info@worldbike.org

Spotted by: trendwatching.com’s monthly trend briefing

While consumer pressure is managing to push some businesses towards social responsibility, competition will favour those companies that can leverage good deeds to increase their bottom line. That means reliable, unbiased good news has to reach consumers, and eventually influence their purchase decisions. Denver-based Tuggl aims to facilitate just that, by bringing consumers and [...]]]> Source : http://www.springwise.com/non-profit_social_cause/tuggl/

While consumer pressure is managing to push some businesses towards social responsibility, competition will favour those companies that can leverage good deeds to increase their bottom line. That means reliable, unbiased good news has to reach consumers, and eventually influence their purchase decisions. Denver-based Tuggl aims to facilitate just that, by bringing consumers and nonprofits together to rate and review businesses so that companies who display a commitment to both the community and their customers get the recognition they deserve.

Tuggl lets customers rate companies according to service, price and quality, while nonprofits can score their for-profit supporters on donations, pro bono behaviour and volunteering. Tuggl then calculates an overall score for the business, which affects its placement in the rankings when people use the site to search for a local service. Recognizing consumers’ need for personally relevant reviews, users can sign on to the site through Facebook and see how their friends rate local businesses. Tuggl is leading by example: when users join the site, they select their chosen social cause. Then, according to how active the user is on the site (reviewing, inviting friends etc.), Tuggl will reward the user with a badge of honour and donate money to their chosen cause—up to USD 500 per person.

The site further aids nonprofits by enabling them to track how much their positive reviews benefit their benefactors, making it easier for charities to present their side of the bargain to other potential corporate donors. It’s this kind of concrete return-on-investment data that Tuggl hopes will prove to companies that “doing good can be good for business”. Currently, the site is focusing on the Denver/Boulder area—where 130 local charities have already recognized over 1,300 local businesses—although listing is open to businesses and nonprofits in other places. (Related: Crowd clout meets eco persuasion — The Goodness 500.)

Website: www.tuggl.com