How Gather & Gather is rethinking food service through collaboration, culinary innovation and practical sustainability
When people think about sustainability in food service, they often think about recycling, composting or reducing plastic packaging. But for Gather & Gather, sustainability starts much earlier in the process.
As one of Ireland’s leading contract catering providers, the business serves thousands of meals every day across a diverse network of client sites. That scale presents challenges, but it also creates an opportunity to influence everything from menu design and supplier relationships to customer behaviour and food waste.
We spoke with Anthony Reilly, Head of Food Strategy and Sustainability at Gather & Gather, about the organisation’s approach to sustainability, why prevention is always better than cure, and how collaboration is helping create a stronger Irish food system.
Moving from passive compliance to active innovation
When Anthony joined Gather & Gather, he found that sustainability was already embedded within the business.
“The sustainability programme at Gather & Gather was really strong when I stepped into the role,” he explains. “There was a solid operational foundation already in place. We had basic recycling protocols and standard waste tracking.”
However, he saw an opportunity to go further.
“My priority from day one has been to shift the paradigm from passive compliance to active, culinary-led innovation.”
“We wanted to move ourselves towards more of a circular economy model. My focus has been on systemising waste reduction directly into how we design our menus, launching commercial-scale upcycling initiatives and building direct partnerships with Irish agriculture and the seafood sector.”
Rather than viewing sustainability as a separate initiative, Gather & Gather is embedding it into everyday operational decisions.
“We don’t see waste. We see opportunity.”
Anthony’s perspective is shaped by more than 30 years working as a professional chef.
That experience influences everything he does today.
“Chefs inherently hate food waste because, in a professional kitchen, waste equals lost margin.”
But Anthony believes kitchens should look at waste differently.
“When we look at a bin full of fruit trimmings or surplus bread, we don’t see refuse. We see unharvested value. We see flavour in the bin. We see a culinary opportunity.”
At the same time, he believes action must come before analysis.
“Data is vital nowadays because you can’t spreadsheet your way out of a climate crisis. You have to take action. It starts in the kitchen. It starts with menu design. It starts with talking to suppliers.”
That practical mindset also means sustainability initiatives must work in real operating environments.
“If it doesn’t work during the busy lunch rush, it’s not sustainable.”
Prevention comes first
While Gather & Gather has developed innovative ways to repurpose unavoidable food waste, Anthony is clear that prevention remains the priority.
“Our philosophy from the start is always preventing it.”
The business plans menus months in advance, working around seasonal produce, procurement data and supplier collaboration to minimise waste before food even reaches the kitchen.
“We work a quarter ahead of ourselves. We look at what’s in season, we look at available ingredients, and when we’re putting menus together, we ask ourselves: what do we do with the trimmings? What do we do with leftovers?”
Technology also plays an important role.
By combining platforms such as Nutritics and Positive Carbon, Gather & Gather can better predict procurement needs, identify potential waste streams and make informed decisions before service begins.
Only once prevention has been maximised does the business look at innovative ways to create value from unavoidable waste.
Fruit trimmings are being transformed into botanical beverages through partnerships with local microbreweries, while surplus bread is being used to naturally ferment drinks, reducing both food waste and the need for forced carbonation.
Collaboration creates better outcomes
One of the strongest themes throughout Anthony’s interview is the importance of collaboration. Historically, supplier relationships often focused on negotiating the lowest possible price. Today, he believes the relationship needs to be very different.
“What it used to be was squeezing the supplier for the best price. Now it’s collaboration. Now we’re talking to them. Now we’re planning with them.”
That collaboration begins long before produce reaches the kitchen.
Gather & Gather works closely with growers to understand what can be planted, how much demand exists and how menus can support local production over the long term.
The same approach extends to Ireland’s fishing industry. Working with BIM and seafood suppliers, Gather & Gather is helping introduce alternative fish species onto menus, creating new opportunities for Irish fisheries while reducing pressure on more commonly consumed species.
“It’s not as simple as asking your fish supplier for 20 kilos,” Anthony explains. “The steps to get that fish out of the sea and onto your plate are so complex.”
Understanding those challenges has reinforced the importance of building genuine partnerships across the food system.
Using data to change behaviour
Gather & Gather’s work doesn’t stop once food is served. The business also uses AI-powered technology to understand post-consumer food waste and identify behavioural patterns that can help reduce it.
“We track what people leave on the plate. We weigh it, we identify what it is, and then we use the data.”
One example involved analysing which foods were consistently left uneaten before introducing subtle behavioural prompts.
“We put the same menu on again two weeks later, but this time we had simple signage saying, ‘Did you know the most wasted item is broccoli?’ You’d see a reduction across the different metrics.”
Anthony believes small behavioural nudges can make a significant difference without requiring large awareness campaigns.
“You can take what you want, or you can take what you can eat. If you’re still hungry, you can always come back.”
Looking beyond sustainability
As the conversation drew to a close, Anthony reflected on a point that runs through everything Gather & Gather is trying to achieve.
“If you take the word sustainability out of it, I think it’s just the right thing to do.”
Supporting Irish growers, working with local fisheries, reducing waste and serving seasonal produce all make sense environmentally, commercially and socially.
“Eat what you grow. Grow what you eat.”
Ultimately, Anthony believes sustainability is simply good business.
“When we throw food away, we’re not just losing the raw ingredients. We’re throwing away the labour costs required to prepare it, the energy costs used to store it and cook it, and then we’re paying to have it taken away.”
For Gather & Gather, reducing waste isn’t simply about reducing environmental impact. It’s about creating a stronger food system, supporting local communities and building a more resilient business for the future.
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Dedicated to harnessing the power of storytelling to raise awareness, demystify, and drive behavioural change, Bronagh works as the Communications & Content Manager at the Institute of Sustainability Studies. Alongside her work with ISS, Bronagh contributes articles to several news media publications on sustainability and mental health.
