What FareShare Cymru does

FareShare Cymru is a registered charity, founded in 2010 and headquartered in Cardiff, that operates a surplus food redistribution logistics model across Wales. From a single warehouse at Unit S5, Capital Business Park, Cardiff, the charity collects in-date surplus food from Welsh food manufacturers, farmers, and suppliers and redistributes it free of charge to 286 member charities, schools, and community groups. During the 2025-2026 reporting period the operation handled 1,120 tonnes of surplus food and produced nearly 3 million meals.

The core product is the redistribution service itself, operated through the FareShare Go programme and the Welsh Government-funded Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund, which underwrites transport, staffing, and packaging costs for food producers donating surplus. Around this core, the charity has built Redistribution Kitchen Wales and a network of Pop-Up Kitchens that enable member charities without cooking facilities to distribute prepared meals, and the FareBoost Cymru 12-week employability programme funded by Yorkshire Building Society, which delivers Level 2 Food Hygiene and Forklift Driver qualifications to NEET participants in Cardiff. Supporting digital assets include a Community Food Provision Map (an interactive directory of food provision locations) and standard web infrastructure (Google Analytics, MailChimp newsletter, social remarketing).

FareShare Cymru's revenue model is non-commercial: income derives from Welsh Government grants (anchored by the renewed three-year Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund), corporate partnerships (Admiral, Briggs Equipment, OV Group, Yorkshire Building Society, 2 Sisters Food Group, Lewis Pies, Tovali Squash, South Caernarfon Creameries, Banc Organics, Paviland Farm, Puffin Produce), individual donations, and product donations from food producers. Pricing to member charities is free, while member-run community pantries may charge nominal fees (e.g., £5/week at Wyndham Street Pantry) set independently of FareShare Cymru. The go-to-market combines a volunteer-driven community model (131 active volunteers plus corporate volunteering days) with channel partnerships for food sourcing, and event-driven campaigns including Wales Climate Week and Meals with Meaning Week.

Name

FareShare Cymru

Legal name

FareShare Cymru

Website

https://fareshare.cymru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FareShare Cymru is a Cardiff-based Welsh charity that collects surplus food from manufacturers, farmers, and suppliers and redistributes it free of charge to 286 member charities, schools, and community groups across Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charity Food Redistribution Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Donation Pickup & Reuse Hauling (HSAKALAI)

Keywords

• Surplus food redistribution
• Food waste prevention
• Community food support
• Charity food programme
• Employability training programme

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and Government Funding: FareShare Cymru receives grant funding from Welsh Government to operate the Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund, which covers the costs of surplus food redistribution.
2. Donations: The charity receives monetary donations from individuals, corporate partners, and community supporters. Donations help fund operations and meal provision.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Businesses partner with FareShare Cymru through food donations, corporate volunteering, and financial contributions. Partners include Tovali Squash, OV Group, Lewis Pies, Banc Organics, and others.
4. Employability Programme Funding: FareBoost Cymru, a 12-week employability programme, is funded by partners such as Yorkshire Building Society, providing training qualifications to unemployed participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FareShare Cymru collects high-quality, in-date surplus food from manufacturers, farmers, and suppliers at its Cardiff warehouse and redistributes it free of charge to charities, schools, and community groups across Wales. The charity runs a membership programme of 286+ recipient organisations, supported by the Welsh Government-funded Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund, the FareShare Go direct distribution programme, the FareBoost Cymru employability programme, and Redistribution Kitchen Wales to transform surplus into meals.

Product overview

FareShare Cymru is a charitable food redistribution organisation operating from Cardiff that collects surplus food from the food industry and distributes it to charities, schools, and community groups across Wales. The core offering is surplus food redistribution through two main channels: FareShare Go for direct membership access, and the Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund which subsidises donation logistics for food producers. Supporting services include FareBoost Cymru (employability programme), Redistribution Kitchen Wales (meal preparation), and Pop-Up Kitchens. The organisation operates from a single warehouse in Cardiff and during 2025-2026 served 286 member organisations, redistributed 1,120 tonnes of food, and created nearly 3 million meals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FareBoost Cymru: A 12-week employability programme that supports people across Cardiff who aren't currently working, studying, or in training, helping them gain industry-recognized qualifications.
• Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund
• FareShare Go

Products and services

• FareShare Go A direct-to-charity surplus food programme allowing charities and community groups to access surplus food redistributed by FareShare Cymru. Available to member organisations across Wales.
• Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund A Welsh Government-funded programme that covers transport, staffing, and packaging costs for Welsh food producers donating surplus food, making it completely free for donors. Between April 2025 and March 2026 rescued over 58 tonnes of Welsh produce supporting 186 Community Food Members.
• FareBoost Cymru A 12-week employability programme supporting people across Cardiff who are not currently working, studying, or in training. Provides industry-recognised qualifications including Level 2 Food Hygiene and Forklift Driver training, funded by Yorkshire Building Society.
• Redistribution Kitchen Wales (RKW) A project where surplus food is made into meals at partner sites, enabling charities without kitchen facilities to offer cooked meals. Currently deployed at partner sites including Cardiff and Vale College City Centre Campus.
• Pop-Up Kitchens Mobile kitchen facilities provided to community groups and charities, enabling them to cook and serve meals using surplus food. Deployed at locations including Community Volunteers Wales in Risca and Sirhowy Community Centre.
• Community Food Provision Map An interactive map showing community food provision locations across Wales, helping people find food support services and coordinate food redistribution efforts.
• Surplus Food Redistribution Membership Programme Core service in which FareShare Cymru collects surplus food from manufacturers, farmers, and suppliers at its Cardiff warehouse and redistributes it to a network of 286+ member charities, schools, and community groups across Wales.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,996,966 meals created from 1,120 tonnes of surplus food rescued (2025-2026)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 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

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bremenda Isaf FarmminorOthersA progressive farm in Carmarthenshire experimenting with growing high-quality produce locally. Piers Lunt, Head Grower, highlighted the Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund as instrumental in diverting surplus cucumbers from waste during summer holidays when school meal orders were not available.
• Puffin ProduceminorOthersPuffin Produce is a Welsh food producer. Matthew Thomas, National Account Manager, noted that the Surplus with Purpose initiative allows them to cover harvesting and labour costs for donating otherwise commercially unviable surplus.
• Tovali SquashminorOthersA family-run squash and cordial manufacturer based in Carmarthen, operating since 1937. Donates squash products to FareShare Cymru as a generous product donation rather than surplus. Karen (third generation) noted it was 'a no brainer' to partner, as FareShare Cymru made collection easy and the donation aligned with their commitment to supporting Welsh communities.
• OV GroupminorOthersOV Group donated 10,000 Easter eggs to FareShare Cymru, distributed to community group and charity members across Wales. Cherry Blumberg, Managing Director, noted the donation aligns with OV's 'We Care' principle values. OV Group's St Ives site (OV County's) produced over 1.1 million eggs in that year.
• Banc OrganicsminorOthersA community-supported food scheme and Community Interest Company growing organic produce in Carmarthenshire. Used the Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund to cover harvesting and packing costs for over 165kg of surplus organic Brussels sprout sticks, which were redistributed to FareShare Cymru's network.
• Lewis PiesminorOthersA family-owned Welsh manufacturer making pastries, breads, and cakes since 1936, based in Swansea. Donates surplus items (e.g., oversized pasties not fitting client packaging) to FareShare Cymru. Wilfred Lewis, Managing Director, noted FareShare Cymru works around their schedule and goes above and beyond.
• Community Volunteers Wales (CVW)coreOthersA charity founded in March 2020, providing community support through food pantries, a community kitchen, and food parcels in Risca. Receives weekly surplus food deliveries from FareShare Cymru. Also received a pop-up kitchen from FareShare Cymru set up at The Sycamore Centre in Ty-Sign, Risca. CVW estimates redirecting 350kg of food from landfill every week and averages three emergency food parcels per week.
• University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UWTSD and Cegin Hedyn café enables FareShare Cymru to expand delivery to Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, and Ceredigion. UWTSD's parking area at the Trinity Saint David campus serves as a storage location for FareShare Cymru's vans.
• Cegin HedyncoreOthersA pay-as-you-feel café in Carmarthen run by Deri Reed, using volunteer labour to provide organic, fresh meals. Partnered with FareShare Cymru to expand into West Wales, with Deri using his volunteer network to help FareShare Cymru reach more communities.
• AdmiralminorOthersInsurance company based in Cardiff. Three IT team members volunteered for a day with FareShare Cymru, delivering pallets of food to Community Food Members and packing food. Admiral allows staff 2 days of volunteering per year.
• Briggs EquipmentminorOthersCommunity-focused equipment company that volunteered with FareShare Cymru, helping fulfil surplus food deliveries including time in vans with volunteer drivers and in the warehouse. Made a generous donation of £700 (£1 can provide 4 meals).
• 2 Sisters Food GroupminorOthersLarge food manufacturer and partner (logo visible on partners page) supporting FareShare Cymru through surplus food donations.
• South Caernarfon Creameries (SCC)minorOthersWales' oldest dairy, donating cheese to FareShare Cymru since October 2021, providing an excellent source of protein for community food members.
• Zorba DelicaciesminorOthersDonated over two and a half tonnes of chilled soup and dips to FareShare Cymru in one year.
• Micro Acres WalesminorOthersA small urban farm donating surplus microgreens to FareShare Cymru through the Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund, helping vulnerable people access nutrient-rich fresh produce.
• Paviland FarmminorOthersDonated 1,200 pumpkins to FareShare Cymru through the Surplus with Purpose Fund.
• Dovebrook KitchenminorOthersBased in the North Cotswolds, partnered with FareShare Cymru to provide an outlet for their surplus food.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FareShare UK: The UK-wide parent network of regional FareShare redistribution centres. Most directly comparable as it operates the same surplus food redistribution model across 20+ regional centres and shares branding, donor relationships, and impact methodology with FareShare Cymru.
• City Harvest: London-based food rescue charity that collects surplus food from producers and redistributes it to community organisations. Operates a comparable warehouse-led model for surplus food redistribution serving charities in an urban region.
• FoodCloud: Ireland-based charity and social enterprise that uses a tech platform to connect retailers with surplus food to charities. Comparable in surplus food redistribution mission, with a heavier emphasis on technology-enabled matching than FareShare Cymru's warehouse-led model.
• The Felix Project: London-based surplus food redistribution charity that announced a merger with FareShare UK in September 2025. Highly comparable in mission and operating model, focused on rescuing surplus food and redistributing it to charities and schools.
• FoodCycle: UK charity that combines surplus food rescue with community dining, transforming donated ingredients into meals served in community settings. Directly comparable in using surplus food to feed vulnerable populations and engages volunteers in food preparation and distribution.

Broad incumbents

• The Trussell Trust: UK-wide network of food banks addressing food poverty and hunger. Adjacent in addressing food insecurity through a charity-partnered model, though operating a food bank model (direct provision to individuals) rather than surplus redistribution to community organisations.
• OzHarvest: Australia's leading food rescue charity operating at significantly larger scale than FareShare Cymru. Comparable surplus food redistribution model, broader national footprint, and established corporate partnerships make it a useful scaled-up benchmark.

Emerging players

• Plan Zheroes: UK-based online platform connecting businesses with surplus food to local charities. Comparable surplus food matching mission with a lighter-touch, tech-enabled approach versus FareShare Cymru's warehouse and logistics operation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faresharecymru

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 FareShare Cymru