Just Food Collective

What Just Food Collective does

Just Food Collective Incorporated is a Melbourne-based not-for-profit founded in 2021 by Food Studies graduates of William Angliss Institute, including Savannah Supski, Carl Watson, Persia Hethern-Faulkner, Patrick McMillin, and Amy Tacey. The organization targets three interlocking problems — food insecurity, food illiteracy, and food waste — with its primary beneficiary being tertiary and vocational students in Melbourne, where research has documented food insecurity rates as high as 44% at William Angliss Institute and up to 53% nationally. Core programs include Well Fed (a free, dignified student meal project operating at RMIT and the Study Melbourne Hub), Fed Up! (a research campaign on student food insecurity that produced a published report and food resource database), Youth World Food Garden (VicHealth-funded workshops for 14–25 year-olds), and Well Fed & Ferments (a partnership with Farm to Ferment for international students). Supporting products include the Student Bites Cookbook co-published with Open Table in July 2025 (A$24.00), a recipe collection, and the Fed Up! food resource database.

The organization operates with approximately 10 committee members and is primarily volunteer-led, drawing on 200+ volunteers to deliver 60+ events and 9,500+ meals to date. Revenue is sourced from institutional grants (City of Melbourne Social Investment Partnership Program for Well Fed; VicHealth Jumpstart Grant for Youth World Food Garden), crowdfunding (a 2023 GoFundMe raised ~A$3,000), cookbook sales through Open Table, and solidarity fundraising campaigns such as the 2024 Local Food Production in Gaza initiative (over A$25,000 raised) and the 2025 Seeds for a Just Peace campaign. There is no proprietary technology platform; delivery is community- and event-driven across Melbourne venues, with a Squarespace-built website, Instagram, and a Facebook group serving as primary digital surfaces. The organization is not currently registered as a charity, so donations are not tax-deductible, and it is governed by an independent volunteer committee with no parent entity or institutional investor.

Name

Just Food Collective

Legal name

Just Food Collective Incorporated

Website

https://justfood.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Just Food Collective is a volunteer-led Melbourne not-for-profit, founded in 2021, that addresses student food insecurity through free meal programs, food literacy workshops, and research, while also running international food-justice solidarity campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Food Security Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrition, Dietary Management & Allergen/Accommodation Services (EDALADAJ), Menu Planning, Nutrition & Dietary Accommodation Services (Allergens, Special Diets) (EDAEAEAD)

Keywords

• Food security programs
• Student food relief
• Community food projects
• Food literacy education
• Food justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The organization raises funds through donations (with full transparency promised in quarterly newsletters) and grant funding from organizations like VicHealth and City of Melbourne. They are currently not registered as a charity, so donations are not tax deductible.
2. Cookbook Sales: The Student Bites Cookbook is sold for A$24.00 through Open Table, with proceeds supporting Just Food and Open Table's charitable activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Just Food Collective provides free, dignified meals to food-insecure tertiary and vocational students through its Well Fed program, delivered at university campuses and community venues in Melbourne. The organization also runs food literacy workshops (cooking, fermentation, growing), conducts research on student food insecurity (Fed Up! report), and advocates for systemic food system change through campaigns like Seeds for a Just Peace. A Student Bites Cookbook is sold to support operational activities.

Product overview

Just Food Collective is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2021 by emerging food systems leaders. The organization operates as a single unified mission rather than a platform architecture. Its core products include the Well Fed student food project providing dignified free meals, the Fed Up! research campaign investigating student food insecurity, and the Youth World Food Gardens workshop program. Supporting offerings include the Student Bites Cookbook (produced in collaboration with Open Table), a recipe collection, and a food resource database. Additional programs include Well Fed & Ferments (in partnership with Farm to Ferment) and the Seeds for a Just Peace Campaign for Gaza solidarity fundraising. The organization's work spans food relief, education, research, and advocacy focused on food security, food literacy, and food waste elimination.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Well Fed: A Student Food Project A student food project providing free, dignified meals to tertiary and vocational students experiencing food insecurity in Melbourne, delivered at partner venues including RMIT campus and Study Melbourne Hub. Includes student internships and advocacy for systemic food security change.
• Well Fed & Ferments at Study Melbourne Partnership with Farm to Ferment providing free food events with culturally themed meals and corresponding fermentation workshops for international students at the Study Melbourne Hub.
• Youth World Food Gardens and Kitchens A workshop program for youth aged 14-25 exploring food justice, identity, growing and cooking healthy food, funded by VicHealth's Jumpstart Grant and delivered at Oakhill Food Justice Farm.
• Fed Up! Research Campaign Research campaign investigating student food insecurity at William Angliss Institute, producing a 29-page report and food database resource. Found 44% of WAI students to be food insecure.
• Seeds for a Just Peace Campaign Solidarity fundraising campaign raising funds to support local efforts in Gaza to consolidate seeds preservation and production for Palestinian people, in partnership with GUPAP and Global Gardens of Peace.
• Student Bites Cookbook A cookbook created in collaboration between Just Food Collective and Open Table, designed to help students and anyone cook cheap and delicious meals with ease. Sold at A$24.00 via Open Table's online store with proceeds supporting Just Food and Open Table's charitable activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9,500+ meals served to food-insecure students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funder through Social Investment Partnerships Program. Funded the Well Fed project as part of Council's commitment to reducing food insecurity by 25% in Melbourne communities by 2025.
• Open TablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Student Bites Cookbook creation and distribution. Open Table is a Melbourne-based food relief charity that redistributes surplus food through community lunches and pantries.
• Sustain: The Australian Food NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for food systems advocacy, research collaboration, and campaigns including student food insecurity work and Gaza food production initiatives.
• RMIT UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner venue for Well Fed meal program. Provides space for free student meals and food security support services on campus.
• William Angliss InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal founding institution where Food Studies students created Just Food Collective. Site of Fed Up! research on student food insecurity.
• Study MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Well Fed & Ferments program providing free meals and fermentation workshops for international students at the Study Melbourne Hub.
• RUSU (RMIT University Student Union)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRMIT student union partner for campus food security initiatives and student outreach.
• Oakhill Food Justice FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkshop venue partner for Youth World Food Garden program in Preston, Melbourne.
• Farm to FermentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Well Fed & Ferments program, providing fermentation workshops alongside free student meals.
• Global Gardens of PeaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Seeds for a Just Peace campaign supporting Gaza food production. International organization recognized for food security work.
• Gaza Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Platform (GUPAP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Local Food Production in Gaza and Seeds for a Just Peace campaigns. Recipient of Lush Spring Prize and Zayed Sustainability Prize.
• Showtime Events GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatering partner for community events, donated services for Walk for Truth event.
• University of MelbourneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with Sara Guest from University of Melbourne on student food security toolkit and Fed Up report.
• University of TasmaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership following their lead on student food insecurity studies. Worked with Sandy Murray on food environment assessment.
• Borderlands CooperativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent partner for Seeds for a Just Peace Campaign West event in Footscray.
• Schoolhouse Studios CoburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent venue partner for Seeds for a Just Peace Campaign North event.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SecondBite: Australian food rescue organization redistributing surplus food to community food programs. Operates in the same food assistance space at much greater national scale, serving as a broader-incumbent comparable.
• Foodbank Australia: Australia's largest food relief charity, sourcing and distributing food to frontline charities. A much larger incumbent in the same food assistance category, but with a wholesale/distribution model versus Just Food's direct service model.
• OzHarvest: Australia's largest food rescue organization, redistributing surplus food to charities and communities nationwide. Broader incumbent in the same food security/food waste space that Just Food occupies at a smaller, student-focused, Melbourne-only scale.
• FareShare: Melbourne-based charity that cooks free meals using rescued food and distributes them to Victorians in need. Direct overlap with Just Food's meal provision mission, but at significantly larger scale and with a state-wide food rescue kitchen.

Regional players

• Food for Change (Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance): Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance working on food systems change, sovereignty, and justice. Comparable in advocacy and food justice framing, with a national rather than student-focused scope.
• ASRC Foodbank (Asylum Seeker Resource Centre): Melbourne-based asylum seeker support organization operating one of Australia's largest community food banks. Comparable in providing free, dignified food access to vulnerable populations, but with a refugee/asylum-seeker rather than student focus.

Direct peers

• Open Table: Melbourne-based food relief charity that redistributes surplus food through community lunches and pantries. Direct peer and active co-development partner — Just Food co-published the Student Bites Cookbook with Open Table and shares a near-identical community food security mission.
• Sustain: The Australian Food Network: Australian food systems advocacy organization and active partner of Just Food Collective. Comparable in its focus on food systems research, advocacy, and convening around food justice issues, but at a national rather than Melbourne-only scale.
• Lentil as Anything: Melbourne-born pay-as-you-feel community restaurant model. Shares Just Food's dignified, no-questions-asked approach to food access and community building around shared meals in Melbourne, with a comparable grassroots, volunteer-driven ethos.

Emerging players

• Edge (formerly Edge Employment Solutions) food programs: Community organizations running student food pantries and food insecurity programs on Australian university campuses (e.g., UniLodge, individual university welfare programs). Comparable emerging players in the student food security niche that Just Food targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/912072083387760
• Instagraminstagram.com/just.food.collective.australia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/just-food-collective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Just Food Collective