Bank Żywności w Krakowie ǀ The Kraków Food Bank

What Bank Żywności w Krakowie ǀ The Kraków Food Bank does

Bank Żywności w Krakowie (Stowarzyszenie Bank Żywności w Krakowie, KRS 0000143611) is a Polish non-profit association founded in 1997 and headquartered at ul. Zabłocie 20/22, Kraków. Operating under the trade name "The Kraków Food Bank," the organization runs a daily food rescue and redistribution service: it collects unsold but edible food from retail chains (Biedronka, Auchan, Carrefour, Lidl, Kaufland) and food manufacturers, then redistributes it through a network of 188 partner charitable organizations serving over 60,000 beneficiaries across the Małopolskie voivodeship. In 2025 the organization rescued 1,961,015 kg of food, and over its 29-year history it has transferred more than 85,000 tonnes of food worth 400 million PLN.

The organization's revenue is derived entirely from donations and grants, not commercial sales. Cash funding streams include: individual donations (including the 2025 1.5% tax campaign that raised 66,825.20 PLN), corporate CSR partnerships (Cisco, HCLTech, HEINEKEN, UBS, Wodociągi Miasta Krakowa), and grant funding from European programs (FEPŻ 2021–2027, POPŻ 2014–2020) and Polish government environmental funds (NFOŚiGW, WFOŚiGW w Krakowie). In-kind food donations from retailers and manufacturers — led by Jeronimo Martins/Biedronka at approximately 600 tonnes annually — represent the primary supply, with retail chains accounting for roughly three-quarters of all warehouse stock. The organization is a member of FEBA and the Global Food Banking Network.

Its product portfolio centers on the food rescue service, the European-funded Fundusze Europejskie na Pomoc Żywnościową (FEPŻ) structured aid program, and the Dobry Sklep social grocery store (launched 2023, serving 300+ MOPS-referred individuals). Supporting offerings include recurring seasonal food drives (Wielkanocna, Świąteczna, and Krakowska Zbiórki), educational programs (Niemarnowanie, Ratuj Żywność!, Zdrowo na Bank, Najlepiej spożyć dla środowiska), and public-task research such as the 2022 Kraków poverty study. The organization operates with only 6 paid staff, supported by 157 active volunteers and approximately 2,000 seasonal food-drive volunteers, and is led by Director and Board Member Justyna Liptak.

Name

Bank Żywności w Krakowie ǀ The Kraków Food Bank

Legal name

Stowarzyszenie Bank Żywności w Krakowie

Website

https://krakow.bankizywnosci.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bank Żywności w Krakowie is a Polish non-profit founded in 1997 that rescues surplus food from retailers and manufacturers and redistributes it through 188 partner organizations to 60,000+ people in the Małopolskie voivodeship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank and Charitable Food Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421), Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maternal, Infant & Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) Programs (BPADAJAC), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH), Food Security, Agriculture & Nutrition Aid Programs (BPADABAD)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Food bank operations
• Charitable food distribution
• Food waste reduction
• Social grocery services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kraków

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Monetary Donations: Individual donors contribute financial resources through the Polish 1.5% personal income tax campaign and direct monetary donations. The organization states that 1 PLN = 6 meals, indicating a high conversion efficiency of donated funds into food assistance.
2. Corporate Food Donations (In-Kind): Retail chains (Biedronka, Auchan, Carrefour, Lidl, Kaufland), food manufacturers, and distributors donate unsold but edible food products. This constitutes the primary supply of rescue food, with the largest single donor being Jeronimo Martins (Biedronka) at ~600 tonnes annually.
3. European Funds (FEPŻ / POPŻ): The organization receives European funding through the Fundusze Europejskie na Pomoc Żywnościową (FEPŻ) 2021-2027 and prior Program Operacyjny Pomoc Żywnościowa (POPŻ) 2014-2020. These funds finance food procurement and distribution to those in need, as well as accompanying educational activities.
4. Environmental Grants (NFOŚ): Narodowy Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej (NFOŚ) provided co-financing for infrastructure development including refrigerated delivery vehicles, electric pallet trucks, and food transport containers to expand rescue capacity.
5. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Partnerships: Companies such as Cisco, HCLTech, HEINEKEN, and others provide financial and volunteer support as part of their CSR and ESG commitments, including organizing food drives among employees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Bank Żywności w Krakowie rescues unsold but edible food from retail chains and manufacturers and redistributes it to 188 partner charitable organizations serving over 60,000 people in the Małopolskie voivodeship. It also operates the Dobry Sklep social grocery store, runs EU-funded food aid programs (FEPŻ) with accompanying educational activities, and conducts seasonal food collection campaigns (Wielkanocna, Świąteczna, and Krakowska Zbiórki Żywności).

Product overview

Bank Żywności w Krakowie (The Kraków Food Bank) is a public benefit organization that operates primarily as a food rescue and redistribution service, not a technology company. Its portfolio consists of a set of interconnected charitable programs organized around the core mission of rescuing food from waste and distributing it to people in need. The core offering is the daily food rescue and redistribution service, which works in tandem with two major EU-funded programs: the Fundusze Europejskie na Pomoc Żywnościową (FEPŻ) providing structured food aid with accompanying educational activities, and the Dobry Sklep social grocery store providing food access plus integration services. Supporting these are multiple food collection campaigns (Wielkanocna Zbiórka Żywności, Świąteczna Zbiórka Żywności, and the Krakowska Zbiórka Żywności workplace campaign), and a set of educational programs including the Niemarnowanie platform, the Ratuj żywność! challenge platform, Zdrowo na Bank school nutrition project, and the Najlepiej spożyć dla środowiska expiration-date awareness campaign. Research and public task projects such as the poverty scale study and food delivery for vulnerable populations round out the portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Rescue and Redistribution Service Daily collection of unsold, quality food from stores and producers, which is then redistributed to 188 partner charitable organizations serving over 60,000 people in the Małopolskie region. In 2025, 1,961,015 kg of food was rescued from being wasted.
• Fundusze Europejskie na Pomoc Żywnościową (FEPŻ) - European Funds for Food Aid European Union-funded food aid program providing food assistance and accompanying activities (nutrition workshops, budgeting, consumer rights, food waste reduction, culinary and dietary training) to people in material hardship across Małopolska. Available sub-programs for 2023, 2024, and 2025.
• Dobry Sklep (Good Shop) - Social Grocery Store The first social grocery store in Kraków, operating under the auspices of Bank Żywności w Krakowie. Supplies food to individuals referred by the Municipal Social Aid Centre (MOPS), also offering culinary workshops, integration meetings, and counseling. In 2024, it served over 300 people.
• Wielkanocna i Świąteczna Zbiórka Żywności (Easter and Christmas Food Collections) Nationwide food collection campaigns held in retail stores multiple times per year, collecting long-shelf-life products from shoppers to distribute to those in need during holiday periods. The 2025 Christmas collection in Małopolska achieved a record 40.47 tonnes, and the 2026 Easter collection collected 35,750 kg.
• Krakowska Zbiórka Żywności (Kraków Food Collection) Annual workplace-based food collection organized jointly by Bank Żywności w Krakowie and the City of Kraków. Companies, schools, universities, and institutions collect food among their employees and students, with logistics handled by the Bank. Grew from 19 participating institutions in 2021 to 82 in 2025, with a record 10,302 kg collected in 2025.
• Food Delivery for Quarantine and Isolation (COVID-19 Response) Public task providing food delivery to residents of the City of Kraków in quarantine, isolation, or those unable to care for themselves (elderly, disabled). Conducted in 2022 in cooperation with MOPS, using food from POPŻ Podprogram 2021 and donations.
• Ukraine Refugee Food Aid Program Food assistance program for Ukrainian refugees operated from February 2022 to December 2024, distributing nearly 800 tonnes of food worth 9 million PLN to aid Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,961,015 kg of food rescued from waste in 2025 alone
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Miasto Kraków (City of Kraków)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Kraków is a co-organizer of the Krakowska Zbiórka Żywności (Kraków Food Collection), an annual workplace giving campaign launched in 2021. The city provides institutional support, promotional coordination, and employee participation across municipal offices and schools. It also refers beneficiaries to Bank Żywności programs through MOPS.
• Miejski Ośrodek Pomocy Społecznej (MOPS) w KrakowiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOPS Kraków refers individuals and families in need to Bank Żywności's Dobry Sklep social grocery store and coordinates referrals for emergency food assistance. The organizations collaborate on addressing poverty and social exclusion in Kraków.
• Jeronimo Martins (Biedronka)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJeronimo Martins, owner of the Biedronka retail chain, is the single largest food donor to Bank Żywności w Krakowie, providing approximately 600 tonnes of food products annually. The partnership exemplifies the core retail food rescue model.
• Global Food Banking Network (GFN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGFN is the international federation of food banks. Bank Żywności w Krakowie is a member and has received funding through GFN grants, including the International Paper Company grant for the 'STOP niedożywieniu dzieci i młodzieży' (STOP Child and Youth Malnutrition) project implemented from 2018–2020.
• EIT FoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEIT Food partnered with Bank Żywności w Krakowie and Rebread for the 'Cyrkularne Sieci Współpracy' (Circular Cooperation Networks) MasterMind event held on 25 October 2022 in Kraków, focused on local food waste reduction strategies.
• RebreadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRebread is a food waste consultancy co-founded by Katarzyna Młynarczyk. Partnered with Bank Żywności w Krakowie and EIT Food to organize the Circular Cooperation Networks MasterMind event, aimed at developing circular economy practices among local restaurants and food businesses.
• Cisco Systems PolandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCisco Kraków provides employee volunteers for food collection logistics, including delivering collection materials to 60+ locations for the Krakowska Zbiórka Żywności and assisting with food pickup after collection events.
• UBS PolandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUBS Poland employee volunteers participated in sorting over 10 tonnes of food at Bank Żywności's warehouse following the 2025 Krakowska Zbiórka Żywności.
• HCLTechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCLTech Kraków employee volunteers assist with food sorting at the warehouse and participate in the Krakowska Zbiórka Żywności workplace giving program.
• HEINEKEN Global Shared ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEINEKEN Kraków has been a regular participant in the Krakowska Zbiórka Żywności, collecting significant quantities of food. In 2022 it collected 856.5 kg, and in 2025 it was among the top collectors with 718 kg.
• Wodociągi Miasta Krakowa S.A.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterworks company Kraków participates in the Krakowska Zbiórka Żywności and provides employee volunteers for food sorting. Consistently among the top food collectors (580 kg in 2022; 1,060 kg in 2025 — the top performer).
• Retail Chains (Auchan, Carrefour, Lidl, Kaufland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor retail chains donate unsold but edible food to the Bank's warehouse. Retail chains account for approximately ¾ of all warehouse supply by weight. They also host in-store food collection campaigns (Wielkanocna, Świąteczna zbiórki) and provide shelf space for volunteer recruitment.
• CAF America (Charitable Aid Foundation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBank Żywności w Krakowie holds a 'Validated Organization' designation from CAF America, which provides international giving infrastructure and validation for cross-border charitable giving.
• FEBA (European Food Banks Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBank Żywności w Krakowie is affiliated with FEBA, the European umbrella organization for food banks, enabling best practice sharing and coordinated food rescue efforts across Europe.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: Largest US food bank network. Operates the same donor-retail-rescue-distribute model but at vastly greater scale, providing a relevant long-term scaling benchmark and methodological comparator for BŻK.
• Caritas Polska: Largest Polish Catholic charitable organisation, running parallel food assistance, parish distribution and social welfare programmes that overlap with BŻK's partner network and beneficiary base.
• Polska Akcja Humanitarna (PAH): Established Polish humanitarian NGO operating food aid and refugee response programmes (including Ukraine response overlapping with BŻK's 2022-2024 800-tonne Ukraine effort) with national fundraising and corporate partnerships.

Emerging players

• Olio: Peer-to-peer food sharing app focused on household and business surplus redistribution. Represents a digitally-led alternative model that may draw donors and volunteers away from traditional food banks like BŻK.
• Too Good To Go: App-based marketplace that rescues unsold food from retailers and restaurants by selling surplus meals to consumers. Competes for the same donor relationships (Biedronka, Lidl, Carrefour) but via a tech-enabled consumer model rather than charity intermediation.

Others

• Fundacja Polskie Centrum Pomocy Międzynarodowej (PCPM): Polish humanitarian foundation active in food security and refugee response. Adjacent peer that overlaps with BŻK on Ukraine aid delivery and EU-funded food security programming.

Direct peers

• Federacja Polskich Banków Żywności: Polish national federation of regional food banks. Bank Żywności w Krakowie is a member and operates the same food rescue and redistribution model across other Polish voivodeships, making this the closest structural peer.
• The Global Food Banking Network (GFN): International federation of food banks that has directly funded BŻK programmes (e.g. International Paper/STOP Child and Youth Malnutrition 2018-2020). Operates the same core model at global scale and shares impact methodologies.
• Fédération Européenne des Banques Alimentaires (FEBA): European umbrella federation of food banks of which BŻK is a member. Coordinates EU-level food rescue policy, EU funding advocacy, and best-practice sharing among food banks operating the same rescue-and-redistribute model.

Regional players

• Federatia Bancilor pentru Alimente din România: Romanian food bank federation running the same retail food rescue model as BŻK but operating in Romania. Highly comparable on methodology, EU funding access, and retail partnerships, though geographically separate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bankzywnosciwkrakowie
• Facebookfacebook.com/bzkrk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bank-%C5%BCywno%C5%9Bci-w-krakowie
• Instagraminstagram.com/bankzywnosciwkrakowie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bank Żywności w Krakowie ǀ The Kraków Food Bank