Partner stores
700
Up from 35 at launch
Case study
How Refreshi and Polymorph took a surplus-food marketplace from 35 stores to 700 across South Africa
Alternate titles
- How Refreshi and Polymorph built a surplus-food marketplace now live across South Africa’s major cities
- How Polymorph helped Refreshi grow a two-sided surplus-food marketplace to 700 partner stores
Browse Surprise Bags
Bag detail and checkout
Collection at the store
Screenshot slots. Drop in three portrait screens of the live Refreshi app.
In short
- Problem
- South Africa wastes millions of tonnes of edible food while households watch grocery costs. Refreshi wanted retailers to sell surplus as discounted Surprise Bags, and shoppers to buy and collect in store.
- What we did
- Aligned on a product charter, ran discovery alongside delivery on SA payments, pickup, and store operations, and built one Flutter app for consumers, stores, and web.
- Outcome
- 700 partner stores (from 35), 200,000+ users, 200,000 meals rescued in 12 months, R12.5m saved by households, R10m recovered by retailers. Live in major centres nationwide.
Explore
- Client
- Refreshi
- Industry
- Retail / Marketplace
- Services
- UX, product build, ongoing delivery
Meals rescued
200,000
In 12 months, about 20k per month
Household savings
R12.5m
R10m recovered by retailers
As reported in Refreshi’s 2026 Impact Report. Outcomes of the product Polymorph designed and built (with partners). Client OK to republish
Refreshi connects grocery stores, coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants with shoppers via discounted Surprise Bags. Polymorph helped design and build the marketplace. A Stellenbosch pilot in March 2025 grew into 700 partner stores and more than 200,000 registered users across South Africa.
The Situation
Food waste and affordability sit next to each other in South Africa. Refreshi’s bet was a two-sided marketplace: stores clearing surplus without undercutting full-price sales, and consumers getting a reliable, discounted bag they can collect the same day.
Store staff need something they can run on a busy floor. Shoppers need to trust the bag, the payment, and the collection window. Both sides have to work, or the marketplace stalls.
The Problem
Payment rails, checkout, how retailers handle end-of-day surplus, and what “nearby” means for collection all needed a South African answer. Copying a European surplus-food app would have missed those details.
One insight changed the discovery flow. In many European cities, people walk to the closest offer. Here, shoppers will often drive a few kilometres to a store they already trust. The product had to favour preferred stores and real travel habits over raw map distance.
The team also needed one maintainable product for consumers and stores across mobile and web. One Flutter codebase covered those surfaces.
The Solution
Polymorph started with the business objectives before any feature list. A Development Kickoff in September 2024 put the cross-functional team on one product charter, story map, and delivery rhythm.
Surplus-food marketplaces already work in other markets, so the team moved into build while running discovery in parallel on South African payments, retailer surplus routines, pickup logistics, and local pricing. When those details shifted mid-build, the product adjusted. Store discovery started reflecting how people actually choose where to shop.
Role-based access keeps store and consumer experiences clear inside that single app. Collection got heavy design attention because it decides whether someone comes back. The first live proving ground was a Vida e Caffè pilot in Stellenbosch.
Product screenshots
Drop real Refreshi app / store UI here. Do not use competitor mockups with foreign currency or other brand names.
The Results
Outcomes of the product Polymorph designed and built, as reported in Refreshi’s 2026 Impact Report:
- 700 partner stores, up from 35 at launch, adding about 10 to 15 stores a week
- 200,000+ registered users
- 200,000 meals rescued from landfill in 12 months
- R12.5m saved by South African households on groceries
- R10m recovered by retailers from food previously written off as waste
- Live across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha, George, and Mossel Bay
Looking ahead
Refreshi’s public roadmap points toward 2,000+ participating stores. Polymorph keeps shaping the product around how stores and shoppers behave as the marketplace grows.
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Talk to PolymorphFAQ
What is Refreshi?
A South African marketplace that connects retailers’ surplus food with shoppers via discounted Surprise Bags.
What did Polymorph do?
Product alignment, UX, and build of the consumer and store experiences on a shared Flutter codebase, with discovery running alongside delivery on South African localisation.
What results has the product achieved?
Per Refreshi’s 2026 Impact Report: 700 stores (from 35), 200,000+ users, 200,000 meals rescued, R12.5m household savings, R10m retailer recovery.
Who is this case study for?
Founders and product leaders building two-sided marketplaces, or localising a proven model for South African payments, logistics, and shopping behaviour.
How do we start a similar conversation?
Contact Polymorph. A team member reads your note personally.