Save&Serve — Operating a 0% Commission Marketplace for Berlin Food Retailers

Save&Serve is a zero-commission food surplus marketplace built specifically for independent food retailers in Berlin. Unlike platforms that charge a 25% commission on every Surprise Bag, Save&Serve takes 0% from retailer surplus sales. Bakeries, cafés, kiosks, Spätis, and small restaurants keep 100% of the price they list — the small platform fee is paid by the consumer at checkout, fully transparent and never deducted from the retailer's payout.

We are built for the reality of independent Berlin shops. There is no warehouse integration, no barcode scanner, no enterprise contract negotiation. A retailer snaps a photo on their phone, our AI suggests a title and category, the retailer sets a price, and the listing is live in under a minute. Onboarding takes less than 10 minutes and is available via the web app or directly through WhatsApp in English, German, Turkish, or Arabic — designed for Berlin's multicultural retail community.

Consumers browse real items with real photos at real prices — no mystery bags. Discounts of up to 70% off the original price let nearby shoppers rescue fresh bread, pastries, sandwiches, produce, and prepared foods that would otherwise be thrown away. Every order is tied to a specific shop in a specific Berlin district — Neukölln, Wedding, Kreuzberg, Mitte, Friedrichshain, or Charlottenburg — so consumers always know exactly what they are buying and where to pick it up.

For retailers, Save&Serve also includes optional compliance tooling that no general-purpose surplus app offers. Germany's Gewerbeabfallverordnung (GewAbfV) and §11 KrWG require food businesses to document how surplus is handled — rescued, donated, or disposed — with weight, category, and EWC waste codes. Save&Serve generates that paperwork automatically. Every listing's outcome is logged with weight, EWC code, CO₂e avoided, and a timestamp. Monthly PDF reports are downloadable from the dashboard and ready for any Steuerberater or inspector, with 5-year audit history retention available on Premium.

Retailer payouts are processed in EUR via SEPA, daily, through Stripe Connect. Steuernummer and Gewerbeschein verification is built into KYC. There is no setup fee, no monthly minimum, and no commission on surplus sales — ever. Premium tools (advanced compliance exports, pay-at-store, AI waste prevention, loyalty programs) are available as an optional add-on for power users who need them, but the core marketplace is, and always will be, free for retailers. Save&Serve is launching in Berlin and built to expand to more cities across Germany and Europe.