Every household has its own approach to grocery shopping. For some, it’s a carefully written list left on the kitchen counter, while for others, it’s a mental note carried out the door.

Now, a new bilingual app in Maltese and English is set to simplify the process.

Xirja, a free app founded by Chris Grech and Cedric Debono, was soft launched in January and aims to make the shopping experience as seamless as possible.

Designed as a bilingual shopping list, the app allows users to share the list with others and even update it simultaneously while at the supermarket.

Designed as a bilingual shopping list, the app allows users to share the list with others.

“I was not happy with any of the apps on the market. I knew I wanted something better, so I spoke with Chris, and before I knew it, the idea just grew,” said Debono, who works as a marketing specialist, while Grech is a software developer.

Although many shopping list apps are available, Xirja stands out for being bilingual. The decision to support both Maltese and English was practical, explained Debono. 

Cedric Debono

Chris Grech

“Being bilingual or multilingual means sometimes you remember words in one language and forget them in another, especially when it comes to food.”

Unlike other apps, Xirja translates words into spoken Maltese instead of formal Maltese, making it more user-friendly. Users can switch between the two languages seamlessly without losing their shopping list.

Debono also highlighted the app’s community-driven approach. To build its inventory of words, the developers turned to the popular Facebook group Kelmet il-Malti, engaging in lively discussions to identify the best translations for certain terms.

One debate centred around whether “freshly baked croissants” should be translated as krossants friski or croissants friski, with some users suggesting kornetti friski instead.

“People in that group are having good fun with it and have many ideas,” said Debono. He also credited the Facebook group for helping the app attract hundreds of users in less than two weeks.

“This is only phase one,” he said, outlining plans to partner with retail outlets, especially supermarkets. The aim is to create special incentives for early adopters, such as advantageous rates, package hedging, and grandfathering mechanisms.

“It’s a win for everyone involved, including the supermarkets and the consumers,” Debono said.