Swiss startup Felfel debuts workplace smart fridge in New York City

By Emmanuella Agyemang – Staff Reporter, New York Business Journal

Felfel, a startup based in Switzerland, aims to change the approach to workplace food options, and has introduced its "hospitality-inspired" smart fridge, also called "Felfel," to the United States, beginning with New York City.

Founded in 2014 by husband and wife Emanuel and Daniela Steiner, Felfel, which means "pepper" in Persian, provides not only the fridge but also the products within it. The company collaborates with renowned chefs, local farms, small businesses and neighborhood establishments to offer high-quality meals and snacks to office workers. The sleek, wooden fridge features a glass front displaying an array of meals and snacks, with a user-friendly touchscreen for easy selection and payment.

The company has developed a client base of more than 1,000 customers, including well-known brands in Europe such as eBay and BMW, though Felfel declined to disclose its New York locations as well as the cost of its fridges.

“New York City and the surrounding metro area is one of the largest working hubs in the world, as was learned during my time both living and studying in the city,” CEO Emanuel Steiner said in a statement. “CEOs and management struggle these days to establish work culture and bring people back to the office. As employees across the tri-state area continue returning to the office, Felfel is a proven conduit for fostering connected workplaces that attract and retain top talent, and we are thrilled to be expanding our footprint across the market.”

The Felfel fridge provides a variety of exclusive fresh, healthy and sustainable meals and snacks. It works locally with the folks behind LaRina Pastificio & Vino, The White Moustache, Laroot World and Bklyn Larder to provide options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including lunches such as high-protein salads, desserts including brownies and cookies, and refreshing cold drinks.

The company aims to address the challenges of getting food from office cafeterias, nearby fast-food chains and food-delivery services by cutting wait times and other inefficiencies at a more attractive price.

The company's smart fridge is also able to monitor which meals and snacks employees consume the most, using this data to restock its contents in line with employee preferences while maintaining a diverse selection.

The goal of its tech-enhanced features, Felfel said, is to help workplaces draw employees to the office.

Steiner also emphasized the importance of sustainability in Felfel’s operations.

“One of the biggest aspects is preventing food waste, so we have a team of eight people that all they do is they try to guess, together with the use of algorithms, who wants [what] in which office on which day so that we really reduce the amount of food that doesn't get eaten by the office,” he told the New York Business Journal. “Then anything that is left at the end of the day, we donate to a food bank.”

Felfel’s expansion into New York was both a business and personal decision for the Steiners. Emanuel Steiner, who grew up in New York, felt it was a natural move because he noted that New York employers are keen on attracting talent back into the office after the pandemic and see high-quality food as a key motivator.

However, the expansion has not been without challenges. He said that finding local partners aligned with Felfel’s quality and sustainability values took effort. “You have to find partners that are really excited about our mission and want to do it.”

Felfel plans include introducing additional services to enhance the workplace culinary experience. One upcoming feature Steiner mentioned was the rollout of a coffee service, Gavetti, expanding on their food offerings to provide a comprehensive office refreshment solution.

When asked to describe Felfel’s mission, Steiner said, “Life is too short to eat mediocre food, especially at work.”

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