We recently connected with Zachary Stern and have shared our conversation below.

Zachary, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

In my 28 years on this earth I’ve learned that there are trials and tribulations in progress. I’ve also learned that overtime it’s easier to go through life with willful negligence, from the process in which we manufacture and produce products to the intersections of American identity and differences we all face. It’s easier to go through the motions. It’s easier to stay within the framework of your perspective. I have always held onto to the truth however, that this isn’t the best ideal. It’s a habit that as a whole we can all improve upon. We can only control what we control, the person in the mirror, our individual actions constitute the whole. Our intentions and action behind that intent impact the system that slow down or subdue the growth we seek. One facet of life I look to contribute a change to is waste reduction.

Zachary, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Zachary Jordan Stern and I work full time as producer in the entertainment industry. Over the course of my life and career I have gotten the pleasure of enjoying a diverse array experiences that have lead to where I am today. In short, I bounced around a lot of different jobs before finding my home in Film and Television. I spent some time in the non-profit sector, the hotel and hospitality industry as well as jobs within the health and wellness industry; regardless of the job I saw the same issue over time. A surplus a food, and a waste of that food; food that was not expired, food that was non-perishable; quality food that could be eaten or stored, thrown to the garbage. I sought to reconcile with my wasteful negligence by researching how bad the problem is.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), approximately 40% of food in the United States goes uneaten. This includes food loss at the retail and consumer levels, as well as in restaurants, cafeterias, and other foodservice establishments.

At the retail level, a significant amount of food is lost due to cosmetic (visual) standards that require food to meet a particular appearance in order to be sold. Not to mention, the often inefficient supply chain practices that contribute to food loss like over ordering and poor consumer forecasting.

In restaurants, pastry shops, and other food establishments, waste can occur due to overproduction, plate waste, and inefficient inventory management.

Overall, food waste has significant environmental and economic impacts. It is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and the resources used to produce, process, and transport food that is ultimately wasted have a significant environmental cost. In addition, reducing food waste could also have significant economic benefits, as it would reduce the costs associated with producing, processing, and transporting food that is never consumed.

Fare Forward is a platform that allows businesses to donate excess food that they are unable to sell, but that is still safe to eat, to charities and other organizations that can use it to feed people in need. Fare Forward utilized the help of the courier to connect businesses with excess food to charities and other organizations that need food. With a community framed focus, Fare Forward aims reduce food waste and provide a source of nourishment for those who might otherwise go hungry.

To use Fare Forward, businesses go to https://business.foodfareforward.com and enroll their business. It’s there that they can post details about the food they want to donate on the platform’s website or app. This includes information about the type and amount of food available, as well as any requirements for handling or transport. Couriers can then use the Fare Forward app to browse the listings and request to pick up the food donations. The businesses can approve or deny these requests. Once a courier has been approved and has picked up the food donation, the courier is responsible for delivering the food to a food bank or shelter within a certain timeframe.

Fare Forward also allows third party users to donate funds to support the transportation of food donations. Anyone willing, can browse the list of active food donations on the platform’s app, and can choose to donate funds to support the specific delivery.

The Fare Forward app which will be available on the App Store and Google Play store in February of 2023.

By facilitating a community connection between businesses with excess food, couriers who can transport the donations, and anyone who is willing to provide funding support, Fare Forward hopes to help to reduce food waste and provide a source of nourishment for those in need.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As I mentioned, I’ve done a lot of bouncing around in my life but my biggest pivot was in college. For the first 20 years of my life 15 of which were consumed with sports and the desire to compete professionally . I ran track and played football and continued to do so until I reached the Division 1 level. My biggest aspiration had always been to play at the highest level of completion in the craft that I loved. Unfortunately, injuries became more and more prevalent as stakes grew, by the time I reached my senior year, I had a fractured hip, an inguinal hernia, and a torn labrum. I finished out my season and accepted the loss of a dream that had become a feeling. The silver lining is what I learned in my time of healing from this loss. I came across device that utilized a process known as Tens therapy, a treatment that uses small electrical currents to manipulate endorphin release in the body to reduce pain. It’s also created contractions to induce muscular hypertrophy(muscle growth). I was so enamored with the device I sought to improve its availability and access. I asked myself”why can’t I use this on my phone” This set me on the course of entrepreneurship I’m on today. My injury was the catalyst for my first app and device launch, Healthytouch, a TENS therapy device that connects to your phone, a device that no longer needed external batteries to charge and was much smaller that’s its competition. Although I look at the launch as a stepping stone to where I am today the progress I saw from research and development of the product gave me the confidence to continue to pursue endeavors that garner my love and passion.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson that I had to unlearn is that I have to do everything myself. You have to outsource, you have to ask for help, it will make you a better communicator, a better leader and it will make your product better. We are all capable of so much and it is truly a gift when you meet someone who has taken the time to indulge in crafts completely different to what you do and are still complimentary to what your goals are. I learned this from the general burn out of juggling multiple roles. The ironic duality to this, is that, if you are an individual entrepreneur, there is always value in building out multiple skill sets, the same benefits that come from taking the time to communicate with an expert willing to work with you also come from learning what it’s takes be an expert in that craft. The key is to when to stop and ask for help.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://solo.to/zacstern
• Instagram: Zac_stern
• Twitter: @zacharystern25
• Other: Www.Rendrapp.com Www.paintbyprompt.com Www.business.foodfareforward.com