Freshflow, a Berlin-based startup led by Indian-origin founder Avik Mukhija, just secured €6.5 million to transform how supermarkets manage fresh food. With food waste still a major issue in European retail, the company’s AI-powered stocking system promises to bring smarter, leaner supply chains to grocers across the continent.
Each year, grocery retailers in Europe throw out nearly four million tonnes of food—about 11 kilograms per person. This waste hurts both the planet and store profits. For some supermarkets, it slashes margins by as much as 50%. Freshflow wants to fix this with AI-driven stocking decisions that reduce over-ordering and spoilage.
Backed by Europe’s leading climate investors
This latest funding round brings Freshflow’s total raised to €8.7 million. The €6.5 million seed round was led by World Fund, a top climate-focused VC in Europe. Capnamic, Venture Stars, and Caesar Ventures also joined the round. Their support reflects growing confidence in Freshflow’s platform and its mission to tackle one of retail’s biggest waste problems.
With the funding, Freshflow plans to expand across Europe and into new product categories like dairy, meat, and baked goods. The company will also grow its team from 24 to 50 people by 2026. Retailers like Carrefour, Edeka, and Intermarché already use Freshflow’s tech—and they’ve reported notable improvements in waste reduction and revenue.
Freshflow’s platform works as a plug-and-play solution. It connects to existing supermarket systems and replaces guesswork with real-time AI recommendations. These suggestions account for factors like weather, shelf life, local buying trends, and store layout. The result? Less waste, fresher products, and more accurate inventory.
A founder solving a problem he saw firsthand
Avik Mukhija came up with the idea for Freshflow while doing a hands-on Master’s project in a grocery store. He saw the inefficiency in how fresh produce was ordered and stocked—often based on gut feeling rather than data. That experience led him to build Europe’s first AI system focused on fresh food stocking and waste prevention.
Unlike packaged items, fruits and vegetables vary in shape, spoil faster, and are often loosely counted. Freshflow’s AI is trained to handle this complexity, helping retailers make better calls without manual intervention. Stores using the system report 20% less food waste and a 2–5% rise in revenue.
Retailers love the results. Bastien Gelin, CEO of Groupe Yabe—a major Carrefour franchiser in France—has rolled out Freshflow in all his stores. He says the team has radically improved fresh food operations with better stock turns, less waste, and improved freshness.
Freshflow is targeting a €4 billion addressable market in Europe, with plans to go further. The global fresh produce market tops $350 billion. With its AI supermarket stocking platform, the startup aims to lead the shift toward just-in-time, climate-friendly food retail.
“We’ve seen incredible traction with retailers because we built the first AI for their fresh departments,” said Mukhija. “With 93% order acceptance and positive feedback from produce managers, we’re excited to scale across Europe.”
Nadine Geiser, Principal at World Fund, called Freshflow the solution that retailers have long needed. “No one else has offered an easy, cost-effective way to avoid fresh food waste—until now,” she said.
Markus Merz of Capnamic added, “The team’s customer obsession and strong results made this decision easy. We’re excited to help them grow.”
Freshflow is showing that when AI meets stocking strategy, the results can be both profitable and sustainable.
