Making the food chain circular together: this is how Lokalist and rotterzwam do it

Rotterzwam and Lokalist join forces for a sustainable food service

What do you do with all that coffee grounds left over after brewing a cup of coffee? Most companies simply throw them away, but at Rotterzwam, this waste stream is converted into a nutrient medium for growing mushrooms. Since 2013, Rotterzwam has been collecting coffee grounds from restaurants, offices, and institutions. The mushrooms that grow on them find their way to (company) restaurants, caterers, and specialty stores via Lokalist. Rotterzwam is continuously developing to keep up with the growing demand for tasty, plant-based alternatives and high-quality, fresh products. That's why, in addition to fresh oyster mushrooms and lion's mane mushrooms, oyster mushroom bitterballen, croquettes, and sausage rolls, they've now come up with something new. The latest creations are the Rotterzwam ravioli filled with mushrooms and a five-spice fungi dumpling.

Since February 2025, rotterzwam has been partnering with Lokalist, using their ordering platform for all their business orders. This partnership is an important step toward making their innovative product range more widely available to the business market, allowing rotterzwam to continue growing through both its own network and Lokalist's.

Lokalist connects local food producers with business customers, making the short supply chain practical and feasible. The platform allows businesses like the hospitality industry, caterers, healthcare institutions, and retailers to easily purchase from producers like rotterzwam. A single ordering process, single invoice, and single delivery provide clarity and efficiency for the buyer, while producers benefit from administrative relief thanks to streamlined invoice and payment processing. Moreover, Lokalist's smart logistics also combine smaller partial orders, reducing complexity, giving food producers the opportunity to scale, and making it easier for business customers to collaborate consistently with local suppliers.

For rotterzwam, this means their circular mission can grow faster: from coffee grounds to oyster mushrooms, from local cuisine to professional food service. For Lokalist, rotterzwam is an inspiring example of local food producers connecting the platform to the market. The collaboration between rotterzwam and Lokalist exemplifies how they tackle the challenges of the short supply chain: Lokalist supports sales and takes care of logistics and administration, while food producers can fully focus on what they do best: making sustainable, artisanal, and delicious products.

Together, rotterzwam and Lokalist demonstrate that the short supply chain is feasible, efficient, and future-proof for both food producers and business customers. Hospitality businesses can easily explore the range by ordering through the Lokalist website.