Jonathan Roberts, the founder of Zero Waste Project, and creator of Fridge Friend, lives by the same ethos that we do at Good & Fugly. Like us, Roberts was shocked by the extent of the food waste problem, and the fact that so much of that comes from fruit and vegetables gone bad in the fridge.
His solution was to get innovative. The result is Fridge Friend. This brilliant little unit couldn’t be easier to use. You simply drop it in the fridge and then count the extra days that you have to enjoy the fresh produce that you store in there.
We were so inspired by this brilliant innovation and solution that we have decided to stock the Fridge Friend ourselves! Now, when you purchase your box of Good & Fugly, you can have a Fridge Friend delivered with it, and immediately extend the life of everything in the box.
We sat down with Roberts to chat about his journey in inventing Fridge Friend, how to make the most of it, and our shared vision for a waste-free future.
The Genesis of Fridge Friend
The initial inspiration for Fridge Friend came to Roberts at the same time that many great things were being invented in Australia: while everyone was living through COVID lockdowns and stuck indoors. “During COVID, the huge increase in the cost of living got started. At the same time, I started seeing a lot more and reading a lot more about food waste,” he said.
“At the time we were providing commercial cool rooms with large boxes that helped preserve the life of the perishables being stored in them. I wanted to take that concept and put it into home fridges.” This led to the development of a small version of the commercial filters used in cool rooms, and what we now call Fridge Friend. It contains the same mineral and operates on a similar principle as the commercial solution, but it fits neatly into your home fridge.
How Fridge Friend Works
You don’t need to do anything once you’ve placed the Fridge Friend unit into your refrigerator. It starts working immediately, as-is. Even better, it’s also very low-maintenance. “You just take it out of your fridge once a month, zap it in the microwave or pop it in the conventional oven. And that cleans it. And then you let it cool down, and pop it back in the fridge.”
Not only is it easy to look after, but the Fridge Friend is also guaranteed to last a long time. Every Fridge Friend comes with a three-year replacement warranty… which when you think about it is actually longer than the warranty on most fridges!
Customer Response and Usage
Since its launch, Fridge Friend has seen remarkable adoption, with nearly 18,000 units sold across approximately 11,000 to 12,000 households. Yes, that’s right. These humble little units are so effective that many people aren’t stopping at just one.
“Depending on the size of the fridge and how much produce you have… you might want to buy more than one,” Roberts said.
Another handy feature of the Fridge Friend – and a reason to buy multiples – is that they’re designed to be colourful and prominent on the shelves. Seeing them actually helps to maximise the visibility of the produce in the fridge. How often have you left some produce in the fridge, and then forgotten about it until it’s too late? A couple of these boxes, placed strategically, help to prevent that.
The Impact on Food Preservation
Roberts said that he’s particularly proud of the response that the Fridge Friends have got on review sites already. It’s not just that the reviews are positive, he said, but rather they’re helping people in exactly the way that Roberts hoped they would. “We’ve got Trustpilot reviews that are saying, their berries are lasting weeks longer. It’s hard to put a firm number of how much Fridge Friend can extend the life of produce, but based on the reviews we know that under normal circumstances people are getting anything from 3 or 4 days of extra freshness… right up to weeks.”
Because Fridge Friend is so good at preserving produce and reducing food waste, it doesn’t take long for it to save users money, too. “If you buy one and use it for three years, it’s basically an investment of $0.50 a week,” he said. “You don’t have to save much produce for one to pay for itself.”
“A lot of people don’t realise just how much they throw away. One in five bags of groceries that people buy ends up in landfill… Many of our users are finding that they’re saving surprising amounts of money and supermarket trips once they start using Fridge Friend.”
Local Production and Global Reach
Further adding to the good story, Fridge Friend is all-Australian. Each unit is assembled in Geelong, Australia, and Roberts’ family-owned business, which includes his three children, is 100% Australian-owned. The company has exclusive rights to the “secret sauce” minerals that make up each Fridge Friend, and as the company continues to grow they’ll be looking for further ways to build on their leading innovation.
Grab Yourself A Fridge Friend Today!
Jonathan Roberts’ Fridge Friend is more than just a product; it’s a movement towards a more sustainable and cost-effective way of living. As the Zero Waste Project continues to grow, so does the hope for a future where food waste is a thing of the past, and every household can contribute to a healthier planet.
