Shrewsbury Food Hub

What Shrewsbury Food Hub does

Shrewsbury Food Hub is a UK registered charity (No. 1171092) founded in 2016 that operates a volunteer-powered surplus food redistribution service in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. It collects surplus food from approximately 60 retailers, manufacturers, restaurants, cafes, and farms seven days a week, using a single depot at the Shropshire Food Enterprise Centre and a delivery van. The collected food is redistributed through two channels: 14 weekly Foodshare tables at 13 named community venues (where local individuals collect food for a suggested voluntary donation of £2 per bag, £3 if frozen) and direct supply to over 90 community organisations and charities — including before/after school clubs, youth groups, care homes, health organisations, and charities supporting homeless people and domestic-abuse survivors — saving them up to 40% on food budgets. The charity also runs supporting programmes: the Community Kitchen and Soupersonic cooking-skills projects (reaching 104 participants in 2024/25), and the Taste Not Waste Challenge behaviour-change programme.

The underlying technology stack is minimal: no proprietary platform is disclosed, and operations rely on standard charity management and communications tools, a depot, and a delivery van. Marketing and beneficiary engagement run through organic social media (Facebook, Instagram), an email newsletter, the Annual Review publication, community events, and corporate volunteering days with partners such as Openreach, Aico, and Sovereign Housing. There is no paid sales or marketing force.

The financial model is grant- and donation-funded rather than commercial. In FY2024/25 total income was £305,666, comprising £129,000 in statutory funding (Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council, UK Shared Prosperity Fund), £57,000 from charitable trusts and foundations, a £30,000 tranche of the National Lottery Community Fund's £300,400 three-year grant awarded in October 2024, £76,000+ in community donations, and £41,000 from individual one-off and regular giving. A new Regular Giving Appeal targets an additional £10,000 per year. The cost per tonne of food rescued has risen from ~£1,000 in 2024/25 to ~£1,200 currently (50p per meal), reflecting inflationary pressure on logistics. Leadership comprises Jo Powell (Chair of Trustees), Tammy Bloodworth (General Manager), and co-founders Ali and Katy.

Name

Shrewsbury Food Hub

Legal name

Shrewsbury Food Hub

Website

https://shrewsburyfoodhub.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UK registered charity founded 2016 that collects surplus food from 60+ retailers, manufacturers, and farms seven days a week in Shrewsbury, redistributing it via 14 weekly Foodshares and direct supply to 90+ community organisations, powered by 200+ volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Waste Redistribution Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Surplus food redistribution
• Food waste prevention
• Community food programmes
• Volunteer charity services
• Food poverty reduction

Headquarters

HQ city

Shrewsbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, community fundraising events (quiz nights, sporting challenges, festive events, surplus food feasts), and one-off and regular giving from individuals. In 2024/25, over £76,000 was raised from local community donations. Individual fundraising generated £41,000 from one-off and regular donations.
2. Grants and Statutory Funding: Trusts and foundations grants totalling £55,000, statutory funding of £129,000 (including Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council, National Lottery Community Fund, and UK Shared Prosperity Fund), and a National Lottery grant of £30,000 specifically expanding the Community Kitchen project.
3. Foodshare Donation Contributions: At Foodshares, a suggested donation of £2 per bag of food is requested, with an additional £1 for frozen items. The food is free; donations help fund operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shrewsbury Food Hub is a volunteer-powered charity that collects surplus food from retailers, manufacturers and farms seven days a week and redistributes it free of charge to local people and community organisations in and around Shrewsbury, Shropshire. It supplements redistribution with a Community Kitchen cooking-skills programme, a Soupersonic initiative that turns rescued ingredients into prepared foods, and a Taste Not Waste community awareness challenge.

Product overview

Shrewsbury Food Hub operates as a volunteer-powered charity offering a single integrated food redistribution service focused on environmental and social good. The core offering is its surplus food redistribution service, which collects food from shops, manufacturers, and farms 7 days a week and distributes it through Foodshare tables and community group partnerships. Supporting programmes include the Community Kitchen and Soupersonic cooking skills projects, the Taste Not Waste Challenge, and a recipe library. The organisation also provides volunteering, corporate partnership, and donation/fundraising services to sustain operations. The portfolio does not follow a platform-plus-modules architecture; it is a community service organisation with distinct operational programmes and community support functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Taste Not Waste: A program/challenge encouraging community to reduce food waste

Products and services

• Surplus Food Redistribution Service
• Foodshare Tables
• Surplus Food for Community Groups
• Community Kitchen
• Soupersonic
• Taste Not Waste Challenge

Quantifiable outcome

• 250 tonnes of surplus food rescued in 2024/25 (1,220 tonnes over 9 years), equivalent to nearly 600,000 meals
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coleham SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched #FridayNightDinner with Coleham School, working with pupils and engaging their parents in community cooking sessions. A standout initiative of 2024/25, bringing families together through cooking with rescued surplus food.
• OpenreachminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpenreach volunteers participated in team-building days at the depot, helping raise awareness of food waste challenges. Openreach colleagues described it as a 'real privilege' to be part of the team's work.
• AicominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a corporate partner. Aico employees participated in volunteering activities with the Food Hub, aligning environmental and social goals.
• Sovereign HousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a local business partner working with the Food Hub's corporate partnership programme.
• Men's Shed ShropshireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Kitchen project partner, one of several groups working with the hub's programme.
• Shropshire Domestic Abuse ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Kitchen project partner, providing cooking skills and surplus food access to service users.
• Shrewsbury ArkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Kitchen project partner supporting homeless and vulnerable people in Shrewsbury with cooking sessions.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme): UK climate-action NGO working on food waste reduction policy and retailer/manufacturer supply chain programmes. Provides the policy and funder ecosystem within which Shrewsbury Food Hub and its peers operate.
• Hubbub: UK environmental charity running behaviour-change campaigns on food waste, including community-facing initiatives. Comparable as a UK charity addressing food waste through community engagement rather than direct redistribution.
• Feedback Global: Environmental campaign organisation working on food waste policy and community-level projects globally. Operates in the same food-waste advocacy space and engages similar volunteer and funder communities.

Emerging players

• Olio: App-based platform for sharing surplus food between neighbours and businesses. Addresses the same food waste mission as Shrewsbury Food Hub but via consumer-to-consumer sharing rather than organised depot-based redistribution.
• Too Good To Go: Commercial app-based marketplace connecting consumers with surplus food from retailers and restaurants. Operates in the same surplus food prevention space but via a consumer-facing B2C model rather than charity-led community redistribution.

Broad incumbents

• The Trussell Trust: UK-wide network of food banks providing emergency food parcels. While Shrewsbury Food Hub positions itself outside the food-bank model, the Trussell Trust is the dominant UK food assistance operator and a major alternative beneficiary channel for individuals in need.

Direct peers

• The Felix Project: London-based food redistribution charity collecting surplus food and delivering it to schools, charities and community groups. Closely matches Shrewsbury Food Hub's depot-and-van redistribution model and community-group customer base.
• City Harvest London: Surplus food redistribution charity operating a depot-and-van model to supply community organisations across London. Directly comparable model — collection from food businesses, redistribution to charities and community groups.
• FareShare UK: The UK's largest national food redistribution charity, redistributing surplus food from retailers and manufacturers to community groups. Directly comparable as a volunteer-and-grant-funded food rescue organisation serving community organisations.
• FoodCycle: UK charity combining surplus food redistribution with community meal programmes using volunteer power. Overlaps with Shrewsbury Food Hub's Foodshare model and its Community Kitchen skills-building initiative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ShrewsburyFoodHub
• Instagraminstagram.com/shrewsburyfoodhub
• Xx.com/shrewsfoodhub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shrewsburyfoodhub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 →

Frequently asked questions about Shrewsbury Food Hub