The Orchard Project
The Orchard Project is a UK charity helping communities, local authorities, schools and individuals create, restore and maintain orchards through grants, consulting, accredited training, events and educational resources across the country.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Orchard Project does
The Orchard Project is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee that supports community groups, local authorities, housing associations, schools, nonprofit organizations, and individual learners in creating, restoring, and maintaining community orchards. Founded in 2009, it reports more than 720 orchards created or improved and more than 300 students certified through its core training program since 2017; 85% of the orchards are in high-deprivation towns and cities. It operates nationally in England, Scotland, and Wales, with project and training activity across London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Midlothian, Barnet, and Surrey.
The Orchard Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Orchard Project
- Legal name
- The Orchard Project (Cause) Ltd
- Website
- https://theorchardproject.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Orchard Project is a UK charity helping communities, local authorities, schools and individuals create, restore and maintain orchards through grants, consulting, accredited training, events and educational resources across the country.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Orchard Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Conservation Services
- NAICS
- Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Orchard Management & Field Operations (Pruning/Training, Thinning, Irrigation/Fertigation) (AFAGACAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Orchard Establishment & Replanting (New Plantings, Rootstock Selection, Trellising Systems) (AFAGACAK), Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL)
Keywords
Where The Orchard Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
The Orchard Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Training Course Fees: Revenue from accredited courses including Certificate in Community Orcharding (CICO) at various price points from £400 to £2,100 depending on location and accreditation status. Includes concessionary rates and pay-by-instalments options.
- Education Store Sales: Sale of educational materials including Orchard Design Kits (£105) and Orchard Handbook course book (£40). Products despatched by third-party supplier.
- Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals and corporate partners. The organization relies on donations to support its charitable purposes.
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with corporations for funding and support of community orchard projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | CICO Bristol - General Admission |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | CICO Bristol - Concessionary |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | CICO Bristol - Materials Only |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | CICO London/Barnet - Standard |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | CICO London/Barnet - Concessionary/Unaccredited |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | CICO RHS Wisley - Standard |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | CICO RHS Wisley - Concessionary/Unaccredited |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | CICO RHS Wisley - Subsidised |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Orchard Design Kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Orchard Handbook |
| Subscription | Monthly | Level 2 Award in Forest Gardening |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
The Orchard Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Orchard Project is the UK's only national charity dedicated to creating, maintaining, and celebrating community orchards in urban areas. It delivers accredited horticultural training programmes (Certificate in Community Orcharding, Level 2 Award in Forest Gardening), provides expert support and consultancy for community orchard creation and restoration, and runs urban tree-planting initiatives such as The Tree Line in partnership with local authorities. Revenue is generated through training fees, educational product sales, donations, grants, and corporate partnerships.
Product overview
The Orchard Project is a UK-based charity offering a portfolio of training programmes and educational resources focused on community orcharding. Its core offerings include the Certificate in Community Orcharding (CICO), an accredited Level 3 qualification combining online learning with face-to-face practical training days, and the Level 2 Award in Forest Gardening, delivered primarily online. The organisation also runs a free Community Orchard Consultant Development Programme for aspiring freelance consultants. Additional offerings include The Tree Line community programme for urban tree planting. Supporting products include the Orchard Design Kit (341 3D wooden pieces for scaled orchard planning) and the Orchard Handbook (comprehensive course textbook). The organisation operates across the UK with courses in London, Bristol, Surrey, and Scotland.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Certificate in Community Orcharding (CICO)
Quantifiable outcome
- 720+ orchards created and improved across the UK
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Orchard Project
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Orchard Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The Orchard Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Street Trees for LivingcorePartnership in The Tree Line project, a community tree planting initiative transforming areas across South London. The project aims to bring more trees into neighbourhoods where they are needed most, working with Lewisham Council, community groups, and schools.
- Lewisham CouncilcoreLocal authority partner in The Tree Line project, working with community groups and schools to plant trees and create green corridors across South London.
- Glasgow Community Food NetworkcorePartnership for Glasgow Orchard Commons project to create a city-wide shared means of caring for trees and harvesting fruit for everyone's benefit. First phase focuses on community leadership and practical coordination.
- Crossfields InstitutecoreAccreditation body for Certificate in Community Orcharding. The Level 3 course (UK) and Level 6 (Scotland) is regulated by Crossfields Institute.
- Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)corePartnership with RHS Garden Wisley for delivery of Certificate in Community Orcharding at the flagship RHS garden. Based in the Greener Skills Garden near the veteran orchard and World Food Garden.
- Midlothian Community Hospital GardenminorHost venue for community events including birdsong walks and food forest garden tours in Midlothian.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Orchard Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The Woodland Trust: The UK's largest woodland conservation charity, protecting and expanding native woodland. A broad incumbent because it works in the same community-tree-and-nature space but at vastly larger scale and broader scope (woodland vs. orchards), and offers parallel education/community engagement programmes.
- TCV (The Conservation Volunteers): National UK environmental volunteering charity engaging communities in practical conservation tasks. Broad incumbent because it shares the volunteer-led, place-based, partnership-with-councils model and trains community leaders in green skills, though it spans habitats beyond orchards.
- Royal Horticultural Society (RHS): UK's leading horticultural charity, running accredited training and community programmes including a flagship Wisley garden. Broad incumbent because it is both a partner (RHS Wisley venues for CICO) and a broader horticultural training competitor with national reach and deeper resources.
Direct peers
- Trees for Cities: UK charity planting and caring for urban trees in cities. Direct peer because both organisations deliver community-led urban tree and orchard planting, partner with councils, and target deprived neighbourhoods; Trees for Cities is the closest matched charity in scale and mission, though focused on street/urban trees rather than orchards.
- Common Ground: UK charity championing orchards as cultural and ecological landmarks. Direct peer because it explicitly campaigns for community orchards and fruit-tree heritage, producing publications, events, and an Apple Day that overlaps directly with The Orchard Project's mission.
- Permaculture Association (Britain): UK charity promoting permaculture design, including forest gardens and orchard systems, through accredited courses and practitioner networks. Direct peer because it overlaps with orchard/forest-garden training, design principles, and community education (notably also an awarding route).
- The Tree Council: National UK charity dedicated to trees, hedgerows, and woodland through planting, care, and education. Direct peer because both organisations operate as the UK's national advocates for community tree planting, run training and grant schemes, and engage schools and local authorities across the UK.
Others
- Plantlife: UK wild plant and habitat conservation charity running community science and conservation programmes. Comparable as a peer in the UK community-greening ecosystem (volunteer mobilisation, council partnerships, biodiversity outcomes) but not a direct orchard competitor.
- Forest School Association: UK body promoting outdoor nature-based learning in schools and communities. Adjacent peer because both organisations connect schools/community groups with outdoor environmental education but focus on pedagogy (Forest School) rather than orchards specifically.
Emerging players
- Garden Organic: UK national charity for organic growing with research gardens and community programmes. Emerging player because it operates in adjacent horticultural education/community growing, but does not specialise specifically in orchards or community-orchard training.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Orchard Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Orchard Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Orchard Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
The Orchard Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Orchard Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Orchard Project
What does The Orchard Project do?
The Orchard Project is the UK's only national charity dedicated to creating, maintaining, and celebrating community orchards in urban areas. It delivers accredited horticultural training programmes (Certificate in Community Orcharding, Level 2 Award in Forest Gardening), provides expert support and consultancy for community orchard creation and restoration, and runs urban tree-planting initiatives such as The Tree Line in partnership with local authorities. Revenue is generated through training fees, educational product sales, donations, grants, and corporate partnerships.
Is The Orchard Project a public or private company?
The Orchard Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Orchard Project founded?
The Orchard Project was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Orchard Project based?
The Orchard Project is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Orchard Project make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Training Course Fees are the primary driver. The others are education Store Sales, donations and Fundraising and corporate Partnerships.
Who are The Orchard Project's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are The Woodland Trust, TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Direct peers are Trees for Cities, Common Ground, Permaculture Association (Britain) and The Tree Council. Others are Plantlife and Forest School Association. Garden Organic is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Orchard Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Orchard Project.
What industry is The Orchard Project in?
The Orchard Project's product category is Environmental Conservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGACAL, Orchard Management & Field Operations (Pruning/Training, Thinning, Irrigation/Fertigation), with a secondary code of AFAGACAK, Orchard Establishment & Replanting (New Plantings, Rootstock Selection, Trellising Systems). Its NAICS code is 115112 and its SIC code is 700.