Better Food Traders
Better Food Traders is a UK-wide non-profit Community Interest Company that operates a membership network of 200+ independent sustainable food traders. Founded in 2020 with roots in Growing Communities, it offers tiered memberships, training, events, and consultancy to support ethical local food systems.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersUK-wide, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Better Food Traders does
Better Food Traders (BFT) is a UK-wide non-profit Community Interest Company that operates a membership network for independent food traders committed to sustainable and ethical practices. Founded in 2020 with roots in Growing Communities — London's first Community Supported Agriculture scheme, founded in Hackney in 1993 by Julie Brown — BFT now represents more than 200 enterprises across the UK, including shops, bakeries, online sellers, food hubs, farmers' market stalls, veg box schemes, farm gate sellers, wholesalers, and organic producers. The organization is governed by a volunteer board of sector practitioners and operated by a small core team of part-time staff and freelancers including an Executive Director, Membership Manager, Data Project Lead, regional coordinators, a Communications Manager, and a Social Media Manager.
BFT's core offering is a tiered membership programme priced on member annual turnover (four enterprise tiers plus a Supporter tier), granting access to a consumer-facing Trader Map directory, training and webinars, peer-learning events, the Annual Gathering, Business Support Week (1:1 expert clinics), a Marketing Support Scheme micro-grant, and shared marketing assets. The underlying technology is minimal: the Trader Map appears to be built on WordPress with a WP Google Maps integration, membership applications run via JotForm, and no proprietary platform, mobile app, API, or SDK is disclosed. Additional revenue is generated through consultancy services for local authorities and food partnerships, grant funding from foundations such as the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and research partnerships with UKRI and AFN Network+.
The commercial model combines subscription membership, B2G consultancy, and grant-funded research and policy advocacy. BFT's strategic positioning is centred on rebuilding an independent, sustainable food sector in opposition to the supermarket-dominated UK food market (where supermarkets account for an estimated 95% of sales), with reported claims that three times more of the food pound reaches farmers via member channels. Key institutional partners include Sustain, the Soil Association, Sustainable Food Places, Growing Communities, the Landworkers Alliance, Pasture for Life, and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission.
Better Food Traders firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Better Food Traders
- Legal name
- Better Food Traders
- Website
- https://betterfoodtraders.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Better Food Traders is a UK-wide non-profit Community Interest Company that operates a membership network of 200+ independent sustainable food traders. Founded in 2020 with roots in Growing Communities, it offers tiered memberships, training, events, and consultancy to support ethical local food systems.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Better Food Traders industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable food trade membership services
- NAICS
- Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
- SIC
- Retail-Food Stores (5400), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops) (CRAHAGAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Local Chef/Restaurant Meal Boxes & Marketplace Prepared Meals (CRAHAJAI), Grocery & Specialty Food Marketplaces (CRAFABAE)
Keywords
Where Better Food Traders is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- UK-wide
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Better Food Traders business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from traders across four tiers based on annual turnover. All staff and volunteers at member organisations receive membership benefits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Tier 1 - For CSAs, sole traders, start-ups (in their first 2 years) and enterprises with annual turnover under £30k |
| Subscription | Annual | Tier 2 - For enterprises with annual turnover up to £150k |
| Subscription | Annual | Tier 3 - For enterprises with annual turnover up to £500k |
| Subscription | Annual | Tier 4 - For enterprises with annual turnover over £500k |
| Subscription | Annual | Supporter Tier - For supporters who do not fit the BFT trader model but align with wider work |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Better Food Traders product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Better Food Traders operates a UK-wide membership network of independent, locally-rooted sustainable food traders (shops, bakeries, market stalls, farm shops, food hubs, veg box schemes, wholesalers, and local producers). Its core commercial offerings are a tiered annual membership programme (with a pay-it-forward fee model based on turnover) and the publicly searchable BFT Trader Map that connects consumers to accredited member traders. It also delivers paid consultancy services to local authorities and food partnerships and runs the Annual Gathering as its flagship networking event.
Product overview
Better Food Traders is a membership network for sustainable food enterprises, not a traditional product company. The core offering is the BFT Membership Network, which includes a Trader Map (online directory to find local sustainable food traders), membership standards and accreditation framework, training and business support programs, and access to a peer network. Additional offerings include consultancy services for local authorities and food partnerships, annual events, and research publications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BFT Membership Network Annual membership programme for independent sustainable food traders in the UK, offered across four turnover-based tiers (under £30k, £30k–£150k, £150k–£500k, over £500k) plus a Supporter tier, on a pay-it-forward fee model that includes all staff and volunteers at member organisations and grants access to the Trader Map, training, peer support, marketing assets, micro-grants, and the BFT badge of honour.
Quantifiable outcome
- Three times more of the food pound goes to farmers with every purchase from a local Better Food Trader compared to supermarkets
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Better Food Traders
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Better Food Traders technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Better Food Traders partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SustaincoreBFT works collaboratively with Sustain on campaigns and policy development, including contributing to the UK Local Food Growth Plan and advocating for local, sustainable supply chains.
- Soil AssociationcoreCollaboration on advocacy and research for organic and agroecological farming practices within the sustainable food movement.
- Sustainable Food PlacescorePartnership supporting the development of sustainable food systems at the local level across the UK.
- Growing CommunitiescoreBFT has roots in Growing Communities, London's first Community Supported Agriculture scheme founded in 1993. Growing Communities founder Julie Brown serves as BFT strategic advisor. Deep operational and philosophical alignment.
- Landworkers AlliancecoreCollaboration on policy and advocacy for small-scale farmers and landworkers in the UK food system.
- Pasture For LifecorePartnership promoting pasture-fed livestock farming and supporting farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture.
- Food Farming and Countryside CommissioncoreContributed to the Local Food Growth Plan as part of collaborative efforts to set a UK-wide roadmap for growing the local food sector.
- Bridging the GapminorCollaboration on sustainable food initiatives and policy development.
- RiverfordminorPartnership with organic vegetable box scheme operator to support local food distribution.
- UKOrganicminorCollaboration supporting organic food sector development.
- FoodFacts.orgminorPartnership on food transparency and information initiatives.
- The Community FarmminorBristol-based community-owned farm operating as both a member and partner in the network.
- The NestminorPartnership supporting sustainable food enterprises.
- UKGrainLabminorCollaboration on developing local grain and milling infrastructure.
- The Real Bread CampaignminorPartnership supporting artisanal bread makers using sustainable practices.
- OooobyminorPartnership with organic food delivery service supporting local food systems.
- Growing GoodminorPartnership supporting food growing initiatives for community benefit.
- The Church of EnglandminorPartnership supporting sustainable food procurement and community food initiatives through faith communities.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Better Food Traders competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Community Farm: Bristol-based community-owned organic farm operating as both BFT member and partner. Operates a veg box scheme and wholesale supply to local retailers, embodying the producer-side of the same independent sustainable food supply chain BFT aggregates.
- Sustain: UK alliance of ~100 organizations advocating for better food and farming policies. Sustain co-developed the UK Local Food Growth Plan with BFT and shares BFT's member-advocacy model, target stakeholders (independent food enterprises, local authorities), and policy-campaign orientation.
- Growing Communities: London-based CSA pioneer (founded 1993) that operates veg box schemes, an all-organic farmers' market, and urban growing sites. BFT's direct parent lineage and ongoing strategic partnership make it the closest comparable, sharing mission, customer base (local sustainable food consumers), and member-operator profile.
- Pasture For Life: UK certification and membership body promoting pasture-fed livestock farming. Comparable network/membership structure targeting regenerative producers, with overlapping farmer-member base and certification-as-trust-mark model similar to BFT's trader-badge concept.
- Landworkers Alliance: UK union and advocacy body for small-scale farmers and landworkers. Shares BFT's agroecological farmer member base, mission alignment, and partnership-driven advocacy model; differs by focusing on producers rather than the retail/wholesale side.
- Sustainable Food Places: UK network supporting local food partnerships and authorities to build sustainable food systems. Operates as a peer membership/recognition scheme across the UK, overlapping with BFT's local-authority and food-partnership membership segments and value proposition.
Emerging players
- Riverford Organic Farmers: UK organic vegetable box scheme and farm-to-door delivery operator, named as a BFT partner. Operates in the same veg box / local organic distribution space as several BFT members but at significantly greater commercial scale.
- Ooooby: Online marketplace and delivery platform connecting consumers with local organic producers. Named BFT partner; offers software-and-marketplace infrastructure that competes with and complements individual BFT food-hub members.
- BigBarn: UK online directory and local-food marketplace connecting consumers to nearby independent food producers and shops. Closest functional analogue to BFT's Trader Map discovery product, addressing the same independent/local-food shopper with a different operating model.
Broad incumbents
- Soil Association: UK's largest organic and sustainable-food membership charity, offering certification, training, and advocacy. Comparable in serving organic/agroecological producers and traders across the UK, but operates at significantly larger scale with broader mandate (certification, certification-mark licensing).
Market position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Better Food Traders social profiles
Digital presenceBetter Food Traders financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Better Food Traders leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Better Food Traders funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Better Food Traders 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 Better Food Traders
What does Better Food Traders do?
Better Food Traders operates a UK-wide membership network of independent, locally-rooted sustainable food traders (shops, bakeries, market stalls, farm shops, food hubs, veg box schemes, wholesalers, and local producers). Its core commercial offerings are a tiered annual membership programme (with a pay-it-forward fee model based on turnover) and the publicly searchable BFT Trader Map that connects consumers to accredited member traders. It also delivers paid consultancy services to local authorities and food partnerships and runs the Annual Gathering as its flagship networking event.
Is Better Food Traders a public or private company?
Better Food Traders is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Better Food Traders founded?
Better Food Traders was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Better Food Traders based?
Better Food Traders is headquartered in UK-wide, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Better Food Traders make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Fees.
Who are Better Food Traders's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Community Farm, Sustain, Growing Communities, Pasture For Life, Landworkers Alliance and Sustainable Food Places. Emerging players are Riverford Organic Farmers, Ooooby and BigBarn. Soil Association is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Better Food Traders have an API?
No public API is recorded for Better Food Traders.
What industry is Better Food Traders in?
Better Food Traders's product category is Sustainable food trade membership services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAGAO, Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops), with a secondary code of CRAHAJAI, Local Chef/Restaurant Meal Boxes & Marketplace Prepared Meals. Its NAICS code is 4452 and its SIC code is 5400.