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Tafel Deutschland e.V., operating as Die Tafeln, is the national umbrella organization for Germany's network of local food banks. Headquartered in Berlin and founded in 1993, it coordinates more than 980 locally-operated Tafeln that collectively rescue approximately 265,000 tons of edible surplus food per year from manufacturers and retailers and redistribute it to roughly 1.5 million people experiencing food insecurity, of whom nearly one-third are children and youth. The organization is one of Germany's largest volunteer-driven movements, sustained by approximately 77,000 active helpers across local distribution points.

Name

Blackboard

Legal name

Tafel Deutschland e.V.

Website

https://tafel.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tafel Deutschland e.V. is the national umbrella for Germany's 980+ local food banks, annually rescuing 265,000 tons of surplus food from retailers and redistributing it to 1.5 million food-insecure individuals via a network of 77,000 volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Food bank network
• Volunteer coordination
• Food waste reduction
• Community food assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Individual donations from private citizens supporting the Tafel movement. The organization relies entirely on donations for funding.
2. Corporate Donations: Financial and food donations from businesses including manufacturers, retailers, and other companies.
3. Coinstar Donations: Partnership with Coinstar allowing consumers to donate through coin-counting machines.
4. Bottle Deposit Donations (Flaschenpfand): Consumers can donate their bottle deposit refunds to the Tafeln.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tafel Deutschland e.V. is the national umbrella organization for over 980 local Tafeln (food banks) across Germany. It collects surplus food that is no longer sellable from retailers, manufacturers, and other donors and redistributes it free of charge or at symbolic prices to approximately 1.5 million food-insecure people annually through its network of local distribution points. The organization operates with around 77,000 active volunteers and rescues roughly 265,000 tons of food from waste each year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tafel-Akademie: Educational platform providing training, courses and professional development for Tafel volunteers and staff
• Tafel Jugend
• Allianz für Lebensmittelrettung
• Tafel-Treff
• eco-Plattform

Products and services

• Food Rescue and Distribution Service
• Tafel-Akademie Training Programs
• Corporate Volunteering Program
• Tafel-Jugend Youth Engagement Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 265,000 tons of food rescued per year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DACHSER Food LogisticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the 'Allianz für Lebensmittelrettung' (Alliance for Food Rescue) initiative. DACHSER Food Logistics collaborates with Tafel Deutschland to efficiently rescue surplus food from industry and donate it to people in poverty rather than disposing of it.
• ALDI Nord, ALDI SÜD, Bartels-Langness, EDEKA, flaschenpost, Kaufland, Lidl, Nahkauf, Netto, Penny, REWEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor retail chains participating in the 'Tafel macht Zukunft' digitalization project, providing centralized coordination for local Tafel-retailer food donation partnerships.
• Bank für Sozialwirtschaft AG (SozialBank)coreOthersProvides banking services including donation processing, SEPA direct debit handling, and maintains Tafel Germany's operational account.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Food Banks Canada: National umbrella organization coordinating a network of regional/provincial food banks across Canada, serving over a million Canadians annually. Directly comparable as a national federated food bank system with similar operational model to Tafel Deutschland.
• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization collecting surplus food from restaurants, grocers, and manufacturers to feed people in need. Comparable as a large urban/metro area food rescue charity with similar operational model.
• Feeding America: The largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, operating a network of 200+ food banks and ~60,000 food pantries. Most directly comparable to Tafel Deutschland as a national umbrella food-bank network rescuing surplus food and distributing it to people in need.
• FoodCloud: Irish-based social enterprise connecting retailers with surplus food to charities. Comparable to the digital platforms (eco-Plattform, Tafel-Engagement-Plattform) used by Tafel Deutschland for coordinating surplus food logistics with corporate partners.
• FareShare: UK-based charity that rescues surplus food and redistributes it to charitable organizations serving people facing food poverty. Closely comparable operating model focused on food rescue logistics and surplus-to-charity redistribution.
• OzHarvest: Australia's leading food rescue charity collecting surplus food from retailers and redistributing it to people in need. Closely comparable to Tafel Deutschland's surplus-food-rescue model and corporate volunteer engagement model.
• The Trussell Trust: United Kingdom's largest food bank network supporting over 1,300 food bank centers. Compares directly to Tafel Deutschland in mission, network-of-independent-branches structure, and reliance on volunteers and donated surplus food.

Regional players

• Bundesverband Deutsche Tafel e.V. historical / Die Tafeln Schweiz (Schweizer Tafel): Swiss food rescue network reusing the 'Tafel' brand and operational model across the German-speaking region. Closely comparable operating concept, but operating across Switzerland rather than Germany.
• Die Tafeln Austria (Armutskonferenz / Wiener Tafel): Austrian equivalent of the Tafel food bank network. Closely comparable model and brand, but operating in Austria rather than Germany; relevant regional peer to Tafel Deutschland.

Broad incumbents

• European Food Banks Federation (FEBA): Federation of European national food bank networks across 30+ countries. Directly comparable as the pan-European body that Tafel Deutschland is a member of, and the umbrella that operates at scale comparable to Tafel Deutschland's rescue operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/TafelDeutschlandTafelAkademie
• Facebookfacebook.com/DieTafeln
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tafel-deutschland
• Instagraminstagram.com/tafeldeutschland
• TikToktiktok.com/@tafel_deutschland
• Xx.com/Tafel_DE

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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