UKHarvest

What UKHarvest does

UKHarvest is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1171916) founded in 2017 by Yvonne, operating a perishable food rescue and redistribution service across the South of England. The organisation collects surplus food from across the supply chain — farmers, producers, wholesalers, and supermarkets — using a fleet of refrigerated vans that route through East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Kent, Surrey, and London, centralised at a warehouse in Itchenor (Chichester). To date, UKHarvest has rescued 4,008 tonnes of surplus food and served 9.5 million meals to the community, distributing through Community Food Hubs, Nourish Hub and Nourish Hub Cafe (Bognor Regis and Shepherd's Bush, London), Grub Clubs, and a redistribution network of 150+ charities.

The charity operates an integrated model combining direct food redistribution with the NOURISHed food education programme (and NOURISHed At Home digital course) and social enterprise cafe operations, supported by approximately 538 volunteers providing warehouse sorting, van driving, cafe, and community delivery capacity. Income is derived from a hybrid mix: individual donations (recurring tiers £10/£20/£50/£100), foundation and government grants (Clarion Futures, Hyde Charitable Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Defra, West Sussex County Council), corporate partnerships and catering (canapes £9/person, buffets £12/person), social enterprise cafe revenue (tea £2, coffee £2.75, meals £3.50–£7.50), and housing association partnerships (Clarion, A2Dominion, Hyde). The organisation employs 11–50 staff and operates from Chichester, UK.

The technology base is operational logistics rather than software: refrigerated vehicle fleet, warehouse sorting infrastructure, and a website/CRM layer supporting donations and Charity of the Year partnerships. UKHarvest won the 2025 Sussex Business and Conference Awards Green Business Award and was founded on the mission of eliminating food waste and food insecurity through community-led redistribution and education.

Name

UKHarvest

Legal name

UKHarvest

Website

https://ukharvest.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UKHarvest is a UK-registered charity founded in 2017 that rescues surplus food from across the food supply chain via refrigerated vans and redistributes it to food-insecure communities across the South of England through food hubs, cafes, and the NOURISHed education programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Rescue and Redistribution Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Warehousing and Storage (4931)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs) (EUAIAEAH), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Food redistribution
• Food waste reduction
• Food education programmes
• Community food support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chichester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Social Enterprise Cafe Revenue: Nourish Hub Cafe operates as a social enterprise generating revenue through affordable food and beverage sales (tea from £2, coffee £2.75, meals from £3.50-£7.50) while supporting the charity's mission
2. Corporate Catering: External catering service using rescued surplus food for corporate events: canapes at £9 per person and hot/cold buffets at £12 per person
3. Donations and Grants: Charitable donations from individuals, corporate partners, housing associations, and grant funding from foundations (Clarion Futures £9k, Hyde Charitable Trust £21k, Garfield Weston £25k, Defra funding for DARE programme)
4. Volunteer Programme: Nearly 500 volunteers providing operational capacity for warehouse sorting, van driving, cafe operations, and community food hub delivery

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

UKHarvest rescues surplus perishable food from across the food chain (farmers, producers, wholesalers, supermarkets) using a fleet of refrigerated vans and redistributes it through Community Food Hubs, Grub Clubs, the Nourish Hub social-enterprise cafe in Bognor Regis, and the Nourish Hub community cafe in Shepherd's Bush, London. It complements redistribution with the NOURISHed food-education programme (cookery skills, food waste reduction, budgeting), Food and Fuel community support, and fee-based corporate catering services, all delivered under a registered UK charity model funded by donations, grants, and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

UKHarvest operates a unified food rescue and education operation rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core service is food rescue (collecting surplus food via refrigerated vans and redistributing to those in need) which feeds into Community Food Hubs, Nourish Hub, and Nourish Hub Cafe. The NOURISHed education programme complements the rescue operations by teaching cooking skills and food waste reduction. Additional offerings include Grub Club for community-to-community redistribution, Food and Fuel support, and corporate catering services. The organisation functions as a not-for-profit perishable food rescue operation with a fleet of vans making collections throughout East/West Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Kent, Surrey, and London.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nourish Hub: A community cafe and education space providing affordable food and cooking skills education.
• NOURISHed
• Community Food Hubs
• Grub Club

Products and services

• Food Rescue Operation Core service collecting surplus perishable food from farmers, producers, wholesalers, and supermarkets using a fleet of refrigerated vans and redistributing it to charities, Community Food Hubs, Grub Clubs, Nourish Hub, and Nourish Hub Cafe across the South of England.
• Community Food Hubs
• Nourish Hub Cafe Social-enterprise cafe located at The Phoenix Centre, Bognor Regis, open weekdays 9.30am-4pm (to 3.30pm Fridays), serving affordable menu items (tea from £2, coffee £2.75, jacket potatoes from £3.50, vegetable pasta bolognese £7.50) to generate revenue supporting UKHarvest's food rescue mission.
• Nourish Hub (London) Community cafe and food hub in Shepherd's Bush, London, providing affordable healthy food access, cooking-skills sessions, and community connection as part of UKHarvest's redistribution and education ecosystem.
• NOURISHed Food Education Programme Food education programme that teaches cooking skills, food waste reduction, and how to make the most of food on any budget, delivered through an online resource hub (recipes, videos) and in-person sessions; reaches 20,500 participants to date.
• NOURISHed At Home Free online cooking course developed with Clarion Futures, providing videos, recipes, and food-waste-reduction guidance for Clarion residents and Community Food Hub users.
• Grub Club and Community Grub Clubs Community food redistribution programme where rescued surplus food is distributed by the community to the community, expanding UKHarvest's redistribution reach through local participation.
• Food and Fuel Community support programme that helps individuals and families with food access and energy costs alongside UKHarvest's wider food rescue and education work.
• Corporate Catering Catering service for businesses and events that uses rescued surplus food, offering canapés at £9 per person and hot/cold buffets at £12 per person, with revenue supporting UKHarvest's food rescue operations.
• Charity of the Year Partnership Corporate partnership programme that enables businesses to adopt UKHarvest as their Charity of the Year (2026-2027) with fundraising, food drives, employee volunteering, and CSR/ESG goal alignment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.5 million meals served to the community
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ThakehamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProperty developer supporting the establishment of a new Community Food Hub at King's Church, Victoria Road in Burgess Hill, extending UKHarvest's reach to new communities.
• West Sussex County Council RecyclescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Food Hub project running since 2022, confirmed for third year through April 2026. Pilot project launched to support West Sussex communities through redistribution of rescued surplus food.
• A2DominioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association partnership since 2018. Works closely to support A2Dominion residents through rescued and redistributed food donations. Relationship has gone from strength to strength.
• Natures Way FoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood producer partnership to reduce food waste across the food system. Ensuring less waste is created saves money and by teaming up with UKHarvest, rescued food reaches those in need.
• Sussex Facilities ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated 10 Air Fryers for Community Food Hub users, partnered with LEAP team to support community food access initiatives.
• VitacressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHerb donations provided at Chichester Farmers' Market events, supporting community food rescue awareness activities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Felix Project: The Felix Project rescues surplus food in London and redistributes it to schools, charities and community organisations. Direct peer: comparable food-rescue logistics, refrigerated-van collection and redistribution to charities, with overlap in the London geography UKHarvest also serves via Nourish Hub Shepherd's Bush.
• FareShare: FareShare is the UK's largest surplus-food redistribution charity, collecting from food producers and redistributing to a network of charities and community groups. Direct peer: same core activity (food rescue and redistribution) serving food-insecure communities through a charity-distribution model.
• The Real Junk Food Project: The Real Junk Food Project intercepts surplus food destined for waste and serves it as community meals via pay-as-you-feel cafes. Direct peer: surplus-food interception, community cafe format, and education on food waste reduction - closely aligned with UKHarvest's Nourish Hub Cafe and Grub Club concepts.
• Trussell Trust: The Trussell Trust runs the UK's largest network of food banks, providing emergency food parcels to people in crisis. Direct peer: comparable UK food-insecurity relief mission with charity-distribution model; UKHarvest differs by rescuing surplus rather than purchasing, but addresses overlapping beneficiaries.
• Feeding Britain: Feeding Britain coordinates local anti-hunger alliances, surplus-food redistribution and affordable food projects across the UK. Direct peer: overlapping mission around food insecurity, surplus-food redistribution and community food access, with a national-coordination role.
• FoodCycle: FoodCycle combines surplus food with volunteer power to serve community meals across the UK, addressing food waste and food insecurity. Direct peer: similar surplus-food-to-meals model with strong volunteer dependence and education/community-building components.
• City Harvest London: City Harvest collects surplus food from across the London food chain and redistributes it free of charge to charities serving people in need. Direct peer: identical food-rescue operating model with refrigerated-van collection and charity redistribution, with comparable education/awareness programming.

Emerging players

• Company Shop / Community Shop: Company Shop runs members-only surplus-food supermarkets and Community Shop stores for people in financial hardship. Emerging player: redistributes surplus food via a discount-retail model aimed at low-income communities, with overlap in beneficiary profile and surplus-food sourcing.
• Olio: Olio is a sharing app that connects neighbours and local businesses to share surplus food. Emerging player: tackles the same surplus-food/waste problem at household and small-retailer level via a digital platform rather than a van-based redistribution network.

Broad incumbents

• Too Good To Go: Too Good To Go operates a marketplace connecting consumers with restaurants and retailers to sell surplus food at discounted prices. Broad incumbent: addresses surplus-food/waste at scale through a commercial marketplace model, overlapping mission but distinct (paid B2C) mechanism.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ukharvestltd6693
• Facebookfacebook.com/ukharvest
• Instagraminstagram.com/ukharvest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ukharvest
• Xx.com/ukharvest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 →

Frequently asked questions about UKHarvest