About helyi

Our food systems are increasingly controlled by large centralised corporations — supermarket chains that sit between producers and communities, extracting value at every step. Supermarket markups average around 40%, and often go higher, squeezing small producers while consumers pay more for less.

helyi is built around a different idea: that control over food should be distributed back to the community level. Rather than funnelling money and decisions through distant boardrooms, it strengthens local networks — connecting neighbours, building relationships, and making it easier for communities to work together around food.

At the heart of helyi are Locals — community-scale groups, each organised by people who live there. These organisers do real work to keep things running, and the platform is built on the understanding that they need sustainable solutions too. The average markup covers organiser costs at around 20% — roughly half what supermarkets add on top of wholesale prices.

helyi is the platform that enables Locals to exist. Unlike most platforms, it doesn't believe it should take more just because a Local Member orders more. Computers don't work harder whether you order 10 things or 100 — but the Local Organiser does. A fixed fee supports its operation, not a percentage that grows with every transaction. Growth benefits the community, not the platform. And it has no interest in being yet another monthly subscription — the kind you sign up for and forget, like a gym membership that quietly charges you for years. You pay when your Local runs an event, not just for existing.

Locals also build direct relationships with small-scale producers: farmers, bakers, fishers, and makers who often can't access mainstream retail. These relationships mean fresher food, fairer prices, and supply chains that are short, transparent, and rooted in place.

helyi is a step towards food systems where communities know their producers, producers know their customers, and neighbours know each other.