Ronni Kahn

Ronni Kahn's Biography

Social entrepreneur Ronni Kahn set out to make a difference in this world - to create an organisation with sound business ethics that would positively impact society. Ronni certainly achieved this and now passionately spreads the word about OzHarvest in her keynote and explains how she built her business. Kahn is the Founder and CEO of OzHarvest which rescues excess good food, which would otherwise be discarded, and redistributes it at no cost to charities providing much needed assistance to men, women and children.

After more than 20 years in the hospitality industry, running an event management company, Ronni felt it was time to make a change; she wanted to live a purposeful life. A life that made a significant contribution to society, supported those in need, and helped to protect our precious environment. 

After working closely with the hospitality industry for many years Ronni was aware of the large quantity of good food going to waste. She believed there was an opportunity to capture that food and give it away at no cost to charities supporting men, women and children across Australia. After extensive research into other food rescue organisations worldwide, and with the assistance of likeminded friends and colleagues, a model for OzHarvest was developed and Ronni sought seed funding. OzHarvest officially began operations with one van in Sydney in November 2004.

Ronni set out to make a difference in this world - to create an organisation with sound business ethics that would positively impact society. Her previous experience in the hospitality industry led her to question where all the excess food went that was the natural fall out in the food and beverage industry. When she saw that no organisation in Sydney was collecting perfectly edible excess food and delivering it to people in need on a regular and professional basis, she created OzHarvest, which does just that.

Today, OzHarvest collects over five tonnes of food a day, and delivers the equivalent of 15,000 meals a day from more than 900 food donors throughout Australia, freeing up valuable resources for charities to spend on education and rehabilitative programs. Over nine million meals have been rescued and redistributed since Ronni began her quest in 2004. OzHarvest collects and redistributes more than five million meals a year to more than 410 charities across Adelaide, Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney. Since inception more than 15 million meals have been distributed and more than five million tonnes of waste diverted from landfill.
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OzHarvest Purpose & Goals Include:

•Nourishing our country

•Eliminate hunger and food waste, through the redistribution of excess food

•Educate and communicate about rescuing good food and healthy eating

•Embrace community support for OzHarvest by offering a range of opportunities to engage with us

•Provide a framework for food rescue that can be replicated

•Protect and improve the environment through all our actions