Kanpla, a Danish SaaS company dedicated to digitalizing the contract catering industry, has successfully closed an €8 million Series A funding round led by Dutch venture capital firm HenQ. The new investment will be used to further accelerate international expansion across Europe and the United States.

The global contract catering market, valued at approximately €285 billion ($300 billion), is crucial to the daily well-being of millions of employees and students.

However, the industry faces ongoing challenges such as reducing food waste, meeting ESG sustainability goals, and managing irregular customer flow. Kanpla’s digital platform addresses these challenges by enabling canteens to optimize operations and enhance the customer experience.

With only 28% of businesses requiring employees to work full-time from the office and educational institutions increasingly adopting hybrid models, the demand for flexibility in canteen services has never been higher.

“As the workplace culture has changed, we’ve noticed key challenges like increased amounts of food waste, excessive manual work, and disconnected systems. We believe software can be a significant enabler in overcoming these issues and aim to position ourselves as the global technology leader in contract catering, helping chefs worldwide save time and creating the best possible customer experience.”

– Jonas Gøttler, COO & Co-Founder.

Expanding from 1 to 10 Countries in 18 Months

In less than two years, Kanpla has expanded its operations from Denmark to 10 countries across Europe, including Scandinavia, the UK, and Benelux.

Kanpla’s platform is now used by over 3,000 canteens in workplaces and educational institutions, allowing more than 250,000 users to view menus with CO2 emissions and nutritional information, make purchases, earn loyalty points, and provide feedback—all through the app, point-of-sale systems, or the web.

“We’ve seen tremendous demand for digital transformation across Europe’s contract catering sector. Our platform is helping caterers deliver more personalized experiences, better manage fluctuating foot traffic, and reduce food waste.”

– Peter Bæch, CEO & Co-Founder

Looking to the U.S. Market

The U.S. represents a significant portion of the global contract catering industry, with an estimated market size of over $53 billion annually. As the largest region for catering services, North America is rife with opportunities for Kanpla to bring its proven solutions to new clients. The recent funding will, therefore, be utilized to bring Kanpla to the U.S. in 2025.

With a current team of 45, Kanpla also expects to double its workforce over the next year to support its growth ambitions.

“We’ve been excited to witness Kanpla’s success in scaling across multiple countries over the past 18 months. We’re really impressed by their progress and has made us wonder about all the other great things this team can achieve. This has inspired us to lead this round as we have immense confidence in Kanpla and their plans to enter the U.S. market.”

– Jan Andriessen, Partner at HenQ.

About Kanpla

Kanpla is a Danish SaaS company that helps contract caterers streamline operations, reduce food waste, and enhance customer experiences. The company operates in 10 countries, serving over 3,000 canteens in workplaces and educational institutions, and aims to become the leading all-in-one solution for the global contract catering industry.

Originally published on 1 November by Kanpla.

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