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National Geographic Grant Application — Circooler

Discipline / Field of Study: Sustainability / Circular Economy / Food Systems
Project Title: Circooler — Circular Food Enterprise: Upcycling Seed‑Paste & Fruit via Mobile Food System
Project Leader: [Your Name]
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Duration: 12 months,etc
Requested Amount: 4,770,000 HUF (~13,250 USD)
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1. Brief Project Summary (≈ 200 words)

Circooler rescues wet nut‑milk seed paste (pistachio, cashew, hazelnut,etc.) and surplus local fruits (pear, apple) that would otherwise go to waste. Over 12 months, our four‑person crew will collect, process, and transform these by‑products into granola, cookies, and dried fruit. We operate from a shared “tool‑shed” kitchen in Budapest and sell via a mobile food cart / pop-up truck. The project demonstrates a circular food model: waste becomes value, community meets enterprise, resource loss becomes local nourishment.
Our goals: upcycle ~ 25 kg of seed paste per week, build stable supplier partnerships, validate commercial viability, and engage the public through creating their own upcycled food products utilizing hand-on education. We will track key metrics (waste diverted, production volumes, sales, cost coverage, saved CO2) and run weekly reviews. Management and administration follow a system inspired by contract based administration of late 1600s crews sailing on the high seas : Quartermaster (Internal management like finance, task distribution, compliance with code of conduct - contract, etc.), Captain (External management like fostering partnerships with key stakeholders, communication, PR, etc), Crew (operations). Through transparency, shared ownership, and iterative learning, we aim to prove that upcycling can be a profitable, scalable, and regenerative practice creating circular mini-economies, practical education and real planet positive impact on top of being commercially viable.
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2. Project Background & Rationale

There is a growing problem. Around 1/3 of all food produced is being wasted, most of it by single households. All of that simply because the people don’t know that there are better, sustainable practices
Circooler addresses this by creating a circular system: collecting these by‑products, upcycling them in a small-scale kitchen, and selling final products to the community.
Our model lowers food-system waste, builds resilience, and creates local economic value. By using mobile sales and public engagement, we make circular economy visible and tangible.
This aligns with NatGeo’s mission: bold, innovative, transformative work in sustainability, food systems, and community-led solutions. (
National Geographic Society
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)
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3. Goals & Objectives

Operate a functional 12-month pilot: collect, process, package, and sell upcycled food.
Divert at least 25 kg of seed‑paste and 10 kg of fruit from waste.
Validate a commercially viable model: generate revenue to cover significant operational costs.
Establish at least three stable partnerships with waste-source suppliers (milk producers, grocery shops).
Engage the community through pop-up tasting events / workshops.
Monitor and report: track waste input, production, sales, cost coverage, and customer reach.
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4. Project Activities & Implementation Plan

Months 1–2 (Setup):
Secure 12-month rental of a shared industrial kitchen in Budapest.
Purchase or procure essential tools (drying racks, knives, ladders, containers).
Formalize partnerships with local plant-milk producers and fruit suppliers.
Test initial upcycling recipes with small batches.
Months 3–4 (Pilot Production):
Begin regular collection of seed paste and fruit.
Process first production runs: dry fruit, bake granola and cookies.
Package products and build a small inventory.
Launch mobile / pop-up sales events. Collect customer feedback.
Months 5–8 (Scale & Refine):
Increase batch size based on pilot learnings.
Optimize recipes (taste, cost, texture).
Expand pop-up schedule.
Improve packaging and labeling.
Months 9–11 (Monitoring & Impact):
Track quantities of input (waste) collected and upcycled.
Record production outputs (kg of product), sales figures, and costs.
Estimate environmental impact (waste diverted, resource savings).
Hold community workshops or tastings to share the story.
Month 12 (Wrap-up & Next Phase):
Produce a final report summarizing results (metrics, stories, finances).
Host a closing event / pop-up to celebrate and reflect.
Develop a “scale-out” or sustainability plan: how Circooler continues or replicates.
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5. Project Team & Roles

Quartermaster (You): oversees finances, procurement, inventory. You work ~2 days/week (shift job elsewhere).
Captain: leads strategy, partnerships, major decisions.
Cook: leads production, recipe development, quality control.
Crew: supports production, packaging, sales, and outreach.
Decision Framework:
Routine operational decisions → Cook + Crew
Financial decisions → Quartermaster proposes, Captain approves
Strategic direction → Captain, Quartermaster, and Crew confer; consensus used
Profit & Cost Sharing:
All operational costs are pooled equally.
Net profit (after expenses) is split equally among the 4 crew members.
Around half of net profit is earmarked for reinvestment into the project (tools, growth, scaling).
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6. Budget & Resource Plan (12 Months)

Total Project Budget: 4,770,000 HUF (~13,250 USD)
Table 8
Kitchen Rental
1,080,000
Monthly rent of shared kitchen (90k/month)
Mobile / Food Cart Operations
700
Retrofitting, maintenance, operations
Fuel & Vehicle Maintenance
360
Collection and mobile event transport
Tools & Equipment
600
Drying racks, knives, ladders, containers
Packaging
240
Sustainable packaging materials
Labor / Staff
800
Part‑time crew support for production and sales
Marketing & Outreach
240
Pop-up signage, community events, branding
Monitoring & Evaluation
90
Scales, data-logging, tracking tools
Contingency / Misc
360
Buffer for unexpected costs, permits, repairs
There are no rows in this table
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7. Expected Outcomes & Impact

Tangible diversion: ~ 25 kg of seed paste + 10 kg of fruit saved and upcycled.
Product launch: Granola, cookies, dried fruit available via mobile pop-up.
Commercial validation: Revenue generated that reduces dependency on grant.
Community engagement: People taste, learn, and talk about circular food.
Replication potential: A tested model that can be scaled or copied in other cities.
Environmental benefit: Less food waste, value recovered, local circular economy strengthened.
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8. Risk Assessment & Mitigation

Supply risk: If upcycled inputs run short → diversify partners, sign MOUs early.
Food safety: Use certified shared kitchen; train crew; follow hygiene protocols.
Sales risk: Pop-up strategy to test market, refine product and price.
Cost risk: Monthly financial reviews; contingency fund.
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9. Alignment with National Geographic Priorities

Circooler embodies NatGeo’s commitment to innovative, on-the-ground solutions for food systems. We build a circular economy model that transforms waste into resource. We tell a story, on wheels, in the city, about regeneration. We scale locally, with eyes on global impact. This is bold, tangible, and replicable.
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10. Sustainability & Future Planning

Use revenue to sustain and grow operations beyond the grant.
Reinvest profit into better tools and packaging.
Expand supplier network.
Test a subscription (snack box) or food-cart route continuity.
Document our journey (recipes, processes, learnings) and share to replicate in other places.
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