Ugly Fruit, a co-operative turned countercultural movement

The Fruta Feia, or Ugly Fruit, cooperative created in Lisbon, Portugal six months ago, has resonate with economically strapped consumers as it works with local farmers to sell produce that have been deemed unwanted by mainstream retailers.

In a New York Times article, the co-operative's founder, Isabel Soares, said she started the business after winning $20,000 in a local entrepreneurship competition.

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To date, Fruta Feia has 420 registered customers who pay $6.81 membership fee, along with a $4.77 for a weekly food crate with 8lbs. of produce. It's been a runaway success with a  a waiting list of 1,000 customers. Some 21 tonnes of food was also sold to two distribution centres in Lisbon.

The cooperative buys the unwanted food at about half the price at which producers sell it to supermarkets.

For example, a farmer who supplies tomatoes to Portugal's largest supermarket has to discard a quarter of his annual production of 2,000 lbs. of tomatoes as they don't meet the grocer's quality standards.

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It is estimated that Europe wastes 89 million tonnes of food a year.

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