Food For Change

What Food For Change does

Food For Change is an Australian non-profit food charity founded in 2016 by Matt Donovan and incorporated in Victoria as The Food For Change Foundation (ABN 79 614 980 988). It operates a three-pillar Grow-Rescue-Support model: volunteer-run community farms (Clayton Farm in Melbourne since February 2015 and The Briars on the Mornington Peninsula since May 2021) grow fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs that are donated to food relief agencies; an app-based food rescue platform developed in partnership with Metcash/IGA connects retail food donors with local relief organisations; and the food is distributed through a network of more than 100 partner relief agencies including St Vincent De Paul, OzHarvest, SecondBite and Foodbank.

Its core technology is an app-based food rescue platform and an online database listing food relief organisations across Australia. The proprietary features are interoperability-focussed: a Food Rescue App that matches IGA stores with nearby relief organisations, and a public relief-organisation directory. The platform is operational rather than algorithmically sophisticated, and no AI/ML capability is disclosed.

Commercially, Food For Change generates income through a monthly Fresh Food Box subscription (approximately 9kg of seasonal produce for AUD 70 including delivery, serving Victoria, NSW and ACT via the Subbly platform), Seeds of Change seed packets (from AUD 6.95 with a one-for-one donation mechanic), a Goodwill Wine affiliate programme (50% of profit donated), tax-deductible individual and corporate donations enabled by DGR status (since April 2017), and a series of small grants and corporate sponsorships (Sunsuper, VicHealth, Bayside City Council, The Gibson Foundation, Metcash/IGA). 100% of commercial profits are earmarked for hunger-relief output. The organisation runs on a small core team of seven paid staff supported by individual and corporate volunteers.

Name

Food For Change

Legal name

The Food For Change Foundation

Website

https://foodforchange.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Food For Change is an Australian non-profit founded in 2016 that grows produce on volunteer-run farms and rescues surplus food via an app platform partnered with IGA, distributing both to a national network of food relief organisations through donations and a subscription food box program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Relief and Hunger Charity Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD), Fresh Food Subscription/CSA & Produce Box Retail (CRAHAHAG)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Food insecurity charity
• Fresh produce subscription
• Community farming program
• Volunteer food relief

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandringham

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Food Box Subscriptions: Monthly subscription service delivering approximately 9kg of fresh produce for $70 including delivery. 100% of profits go towards feeding hungry Australians. Each box subscription provides 50 meals.
2. Direct Donations: Individual and corporate donations accepted, with DGR status making donations over $2 tax-deductible in Australia. Donation formula: $1 = 5 meals, $2 = 10 meals.
3. Seeds of Change Program: Seed packet sales starting at $6.95 per packet. For each packet sold, another packet is donated to vulnerable Australians. 100% of profits go towards hunger relief.
4. Goodwill Wine Partnership: Wine purchases through Goodwill Wine donate 50% of profit to Food For Change or charity of choice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Food For Change is an Australian nonprofit food charity that grows fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs on volunteer-run partnership farms, rescues surplus food through a national app-based partnership with IGA, and distributes that food through 100+ Australian food relief organisations. It also runs the Fresh Food Box monthly produce subscription ($70/box, ~9kg) and the Seeds of Change seed packet program, with 100% of profits funding meals for food-insecure Australians.

Product overview

Food For Change is a not-for-profit food relief organization operating as a dual-track platform combining food rescue and food box subscription models. The core offerings include: (1) an IGA Food Rescue Program - an app-based system connecting IGA stores with food relief organizations; (2) a Fresh Food Box Subscription - monthly produce delivery service ($70/month) providing 9kg of seasonal produce with 100% of profits funding meals; and (3) a Seeds of Change Program enabling home growing with seed packets that include a donate-forward model. The organization also operates community farms at Clayton Farm (Melbourne) and Briars Farm (Mornington Peninsula) where volunteers grow produce for donation to food relief agencies. Food is distributed through a network of 100+ food relief partner organizations including St Vincent de Paul, Anglicare, OzHarvest, and SecondBite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fresh Food Box: Monthly fresh produce subscription box delivery service priced at $70 including delivery, with 100% of profits going to feed hungry Australians. Each box contains approximately 9kg of seasonal fruit, vegetables, and herbs.
• IGA Food Rescue Program
• Food Relief Organisations
• Seeds of Change

Products and services

• IGA Food Rescue Program
• Fresh Food Box Subscription
• Seeds of Change Program
• Community Farms Program
• Goodwill Wine Partnership

Quantifiable outcome

• 509,862 meals grown since inception
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• National Food InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020Trains and employs kids with intellectual disabilities on Clayton Farm. Growing relationship focused on social impact.
• Metcash/IGAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Through the IGA Food Rescue Program, IGA stores across the country reduce waste and help feed their local communities by donating food that might otherwise end up in landfill. The partnership has donated millions of meals. Metcash also provides financial support to Food For Change's operations.
• MinterEllisonminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPro bono legal services provider to Food For Change.
• VeoliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides compost made from recycled green waste to meet farm needs.
• In2FoodmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCritical partner sourcing food from Australian farmers and packing fresh food boxes. Provided support getting the food box program off the ground.
• Goodwill WineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWine purchases donate 50% of profit to Food For Change or charity of choice. Includes recipe cards from The Good Foundation in food boxes.
• The Good FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides recipe cards incorporated into monthly fresh food boxes.
• SecondBitecoreOthersMajor food relief organisation receiving both grown and rescued food from Food For Change. One of several strategic distribution partners.
• FoodbankcoreOthersKey strategic partner providing food relief across Australia. Releases annual food insecurity statistics.
• OzHarvestcoreOthersNational food rescue organisation receiving donated food in multiple states including ACT, SA, and Wagga Wagga.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foodbank Australia: National food relief organisation sourcing and distributing food to a network of charities across Australia. Highly comparable to Food For Change's 'Support' pillar and distribution through partner organisations.
• OzHarvest: Australia's leading food rescue charity, collecting surplus food from commercial outlets and redistributing it to charities. Directly comparable mission, model and beneficiary base to Food For Change, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• SecondBite: Australian food rescue organisation redistributing surplus food to communities in need. Already a distribution partner of Food For Change, serving overlapping beneficiary populations with a comparable model.
• FareShare Australia: Volunteer-powered organisation that cooks meals from rescued food for vulnerable Australians. Comparable mission combining food rescue with volunteer-driven food production, mirroring Food For Change's grow + rescue model.

Regional players

• CERES Fair Food: Melbourne-based social enterprise operating an organic farm and produce box subscription service. Comparable community-farming + produce-subscription elements to Food For Change's Fresh Food Box and farm operations, though primarily commercial rather than charitable.

Emerging players

• Spare Harvest: App-based platform connecting home gardeners' surplus produce with local communities. Conceptually adjacent to Food For Change's food rescue and food access mission, though focused on residential rather than retail surplus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodforchange

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Food For Change