'Everyone Is A Winner': Volunteers In Switzerland Help Harvest Apples To Avoid Food Waste

October 27, 2021

In Switzerland, a community association is linking orchards, volunteers and fruit presses, to ensure many more apples find their way into the food chain.

Apples harvested by SOS Fruits

SOS Fruits is a Yverdonnoise association which offers a voluntary harvesting service to fruit tree owners.

Many fruits are left unpicked or on the ground as some orchard owners do not have time to collect all of the crop.

Set up by brothers Yvain and Gael Mauron, SOS Fruits connects orchard owners with volunteers through a website.

"There are plenty of fruit trees that are left abandoned," says Gael. "I think the main reason is that people have forgotten the value of these fruits, so it's easier to go and buy from the supermarket than to harvest their own fruit."

Approximately three tons of apples are harvested by SOS Fruits every season. The harvested fruits are distributed equitably between the owner, the volunteer and the association.

"It's an excellent idea and everyone is a winner," says volunteer Christine Dumouchel. "It's almost revolting to think all this would have gone wasted."

Watch the video below.