Magic Beans: Napier woman's vision to stop food wastage could go global

Anneliese Hough has grand plans for her clever fresh produce idea Magic Beans. Photo / Paul Taylor

"Everyone has the right to fresh and healthy food that does not cost the earth."

That is the concept behind Hawke's Bay woman Anneliese Hough's bright idea Magic Beans - which has a huge following on Facebook.

The Magic Beans Facebook page helps thousands of people across Hawke's Bay connect then swap veges and fresh produce straight from their garden.

The main rule of the page is that no money can be exchanged - meaning swaps can include freshly made jam for a bag of zucchinis or some seeds and everything in between.

Hough and business partner Sarah Grant are now looking to expand the idea into a nationwide and even international app.

Mother-of-two Hough was living in Napier and had a vege patch growing on her property when she first came up with the bright idea in 2016.

Sarah Grant.

"I had a rough few months and decided I did not feel very connected to my community and that I needed to be doing something positive so I started the Magic Beans Facebook page," she said.

"It was a pretty small idea to start with.

"Being a single mum and a real foodie I was really resourceful with what we had and so I would swap and share what I was growing with my friends and neighbours, and make jam for people.

"And I just thought maybe there are more people that want to do this as well."

The rest is history, her Facebook page Magic Beans, which serves the Hawke's Bay area, has grown to over 3000 members.

Hough and Grant have been working together on the page since 2016 and are hoping to expand the idea into an app by this coming summer.

However, they need help.

Anneliese Hough is the founder of Magic Beans. Photo / Paul Taylor

A PledgeMe campaign has been set up to raise $65,000 to fund and launch the app which will be free to use.

It will prevent food wastage on a far larger scale and also make fresh food more affordable and accessible and provide plenty of tips for growing food at home.

To support the campaign go to pledgeme.co.nz and search Magic Beans or click here.

"We believe that everyone has the right to fresh and healthy food that does not cost the earth," Hough said.

"And by working as a community it's so much easier to make that a reality."

Hough works as a digital product designer while Grant has a background in business management and environmental science.

"We are confident we can make this work really well," Hough said.