Impact Food Group

What Impact Food Group does

Impact Food Group (IFG) is a UK-based private education catering specialist that delivers contract-based meal services to schools, Multi Academy Trusts, and independent/private schools. Following the November 2025 acquisition of Dolce Catering, the group serves over 1 million students daily across 1,500 UK schools, supported by approximately 4,400 employees. The company operates through a portfolio of distinct sub-brands: Innovate (high street-inspired quick-service school cafés with biometric payment and barcode queuing), Cucina (chef-led on-site cooking from scratch with local sourcing and an Executive Head Chef at every school), Chapter One (formerly IFG Independent, catering for independent schools), Hutchisons, and the newly acquired Dolce. The Impact+ framework organizes the group's social impact agenda around three pillars: Passion for Food (nutrition, menu quality), Healthy Planet (sustainability, food waste reduction, plant-forward menus), and Thriving People and Communities (apprenticeships, leadership development, school partnerships).

The business model is contract-based B2B catering with schools as the customer, generating recurring revenue per contract. Distribution is direct: field-based sales and on-site chef-led service delivery, with a contact form and a dedicated sales team for inbound enquiries. Underlying technology includes biometric payment systems, barcode queuing, a dedicated primary school pre-ordering platform (ifg-psm.co.uk), and a back-office stack comprising Zoho CRM, Microsoft, ForBrains and Kanpla/Pebble for student allergy and service data, and Parent Pay for payment processing (IFG does not handle payment data directly). The group reports a 97% school retention rate, a 4,400-employee workforce with 106 apprentices, and ESG outcomes including 239,000kg CO2 saved from food waste, ~400,000kg CO2 eliminated via plant-based protein substitutions, 17.5% sugar reduction in bakery, and diversion of 589,500+ plastic bottles and cans via a partnership with Generation Juice. Leadership comprises CEO Richard Taylor and Co-Founder Scott Curtis (of Dolce). The company is headquartered in Woking, UK, with a registered office in West Byfleet.

Name

Impact Food Group

Legal name

Impact Food Group

Website

https://impactfood.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Impact Food Group is a UK-based education catering specialist that delivers contract-based meal services to over 1 million students across 1,500 schools through multiple brands including Innovate, Cucina, Chapter One, and Dolce, using chef-led on-site operations and technology-enabled ordering and payment systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Florianópolis

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. School Catering Contracts: Contract-based education catering services provided directly to schools, including primary and secondary schools, independent schools, and Multi Academy Trusts. Revenue generated through ongoing service contracts with educational institutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Impact Food Group provides contract-based catering services to UK schools, delivering fresh, nutritionally balanced meals through distinct sub-brands (Innovate, Cucina, Chapter One, and acquired Dolce). The company serves over 1 million students daily across 1,500 schools, offering technology-enabled ordering and payment systems, chef-led on-site meal preparation, and food education programs focused on improving school meal uptake and student nutrition.

Product overview

Impact Food Group is a UK education catering specialist operating multiple distinct brands under one unified group. The portfolio includes three core service brands: Innovate (high street-inspired quick-service cafes), Cucina (chef-led scratch cooking), and Chapter One (catering for independent schools). Following a 2025 acquisition, Dolce operates as an independent brand within the group, serving over 130,000 pupils. The combined entity serves over 1 million students across 1,500 schools. Impact+ serves as the group's social impact framework spanning nutrition, sustainability, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Innovate: High street-inspired food markets and cafes for schools, featuring food choice, flexibility, quality and speed. Serves 160,000 students with technology-enabled service.
• Cucina
• Chapter One
• Impact+
• Hutchisons

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% school retention rate
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dolce CateringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Acquisition completed in November 2025 bringing Dolce, a family-founded and award-winning catering company, into the IFG family. Dolce serves over 130,000 pupils and offers workplace catering. The partnership enables IFG to expand to over 1 million students across 1,500 schools, combining expertise in fresh nutritious food, exceptional service, and people-first culture.
• OliominorOthersFood sharing app partnership for redistribution of surplus food, helping prevent food waste
• OllecominorOthersFood waste repurposing partnership enabling IFG to save 239,000kg of CO2 from food waste through redistribution schemes
• Generation JuiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to eliminate plastic bottles and cans, having diverted over 589,500 plastic bottles and cans through the collaboration

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Caterlink: UK education specialist contract caterer serving primary and secondary schools across multiple regions. Direct competitor on state school tenders with overlapping customer segments.
• Wilson Vale: Independent UK contract caterer with education as a core vertical, recognised for fresh, chef-led school meals. Highly comparable business profile and scale to IFG.
• WSH Group: UK hospitality group encompassing contract catering (including the former Baxter Storey) across workplace and education. Comparable chef-led premium positioning to IFG.
• Elior UK: Major UK contract caterer with a dedicated education vertical serving state and independent schools. Closely comparable multi-segment contract catering model and customer base to IFG.
• Taylor Shaw: UK-focused education and care contract caterer serving primary, secondary, and independent schools. Closely comparable in target market and contract structure to IFG.
• Harrison Catering Services: Family-run UK education and care home contract caterer. Directly comparable business model, scale, and customer base (state and independent schools) to IFG.
• Baxter Storey: UK premium contract caterer with strong presence in independent schools and workplace dining. Closely comparable chef-led, premium positioning to IFG's Cucina and Chapter One brands.
• Chartwells (Compass Group UK & Ireland): Education-focused brand within Compass Group, the UK's largest contract caterer. Most direct competitor to IFG in UK school catering at mass-market state school and MAT level, with materially greater scale and procurement power.

Regional players

• Norse Group: UK public-sector services group with an education catering arm operating across East Anglia. Comparable contract catering for schools model though with regional rather than national scope.

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo UK & Ireland: Global contract services giant operating across education, healthcare and workplace catering in the UK. Competes with IFG on UK school contracts and has substantially broader geographic and vertical coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/schoolcatering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/impact-food-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Impact Food Group