Osnabrücker Tafel e. V.

What Osnabrücker Tafel e. V. does

Osnabrücker Tafel e.V. is a registered nonprofit charitable association (eingetragener Verein, Amtsgericht Osnabrück VR 2761) founded in 1996 in Osnabrück, Germany. It operates a food-rescue and redistribution network that collects surplus edible food from commercial donors (including Aldi, Lidl, Frischdienst Union, Froneri, and IKEA Osnabrück) and distributes it free of charge to individuals and families experiencing poverty in the Osnabrück city and district area. Recipients are primarily holders of the municipal Osnabrück-Pass or those able to demonstrate urgent financial need; a symbolic cost contribution of 2.00 EUR per adult and 0.50 EUR per child is collected to offset logistics, with a 10 EUR household debt cap.

The organization operates through three core programs: (i) the main Tafel food-bank program distributed across the headquarters at Schlachthofstraße 1 (a listed 1885-1887 former slaughterhouse) and 8 satellite distribution points, supporting approximately 4,431 persons per month and ~14,000 visits monthly at the main location, redistributing roughly 50 tons of food per week; (ii) the Kindertafel sub-project, launched in 2008, which purchases fresh ingredients (distinct from rescued food) and delivers weekly breakfasts to over 700 children at nearly 40 schools and kindergartens via a digital school ordering portal; and (iii) the Bringdienst home delivery service for seriously ill or severely disabled individuals, currently serving ~280 households weekly using refrigerated vehicles and an Ari electric car, with demand exceeding capacity.

Operational infrastructure includes a proprietary internal cash register program with live attendance tracking, a rule-based predictive visitor estimation algorithm that matches historical days by weekday, month phase, and holiday status, and a digital portal through which schools order weekly breakfast ingredients by Monday 11:00 AM. The organization runs on approximately 280 volunteers (primarily driving, warehouse logistics, and office work) and 13 full-time skilled staff in logistics and administration, with strict LFGB food-safety compliance. Revenue is sourced primarily from individual and corporate financial donations (channeled through Sparkasse Osnabrück and PayPal), in-kind food donations, symbolic visit contributions, Bringdienst delivery fees of 2.50 EUR, and club memberships, with a 2026 total cost base of approximately 1.1 million EUR.

Name

Osnabrücker Tafel e. V.

Legal name

Osnabrücker Tafel e.V.

Website

https://osnabruecker-tafel.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Osnabrücker Tafel e.V. is a nonprofit food bank founded in 1996 in Osnabrück, Germany, that rescues surplus food from commercial donors and distributes it free to people in poverty across 8 locations, while running the Kindertafel school breakfast program for 700+ children and a Bringdienst home delivery service for mobility-impaired residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Food Distribution (Food Bank)

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Food bank distribution
• Surplus food redistribution
• Community food assistance
• Charitable food programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Osnabrück

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Donations: The organization is primarily financed through donations. Weekly support comes from numerous private individuals and companies in the Osnabrück region. Includes one-time donations, occasion-based donations (celebration donations), and recurring donation subscriptions (Spendenabo). All donations are tax-deductible as the organization is recognized as non-profit.
2. Food Donations: Companies donate good food that would otherwise be thrown away. This includes bakeries, supermarkets, and food producers. The organization collects from these donors every morning starting at 7:00 AM.
3. Symbolic Cost Contribution: Recipients pay a small symbolic fee to cover transport and logistics costs: 2.00 euros for adults, 0.50 euros for children. The food itself is free. Card payment accepted at main location only.
4. Bringdienst Delivery Fee: Home delivery service for people who cannot come due to illness or disability. A fee of 2.50 euros per delivery is charged to cover delivery costs.
5. Club Membership: People can become active or passive club members to strengthen the community and provide backing for the daily work. Membership is independent of regular donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Osnabrücker Tafel e. V. collects surplus, still-edible food from supermarkets, bakeries and producers, and redistributes it free of charge to people living in financial hardship through a main distribution center, eight neighborhood distribution points (Ausgabestellen), a children's breakfast program (Kindertafel), and a home delivery service (Bringdienst) for beneficiaries with limited mobility. The core activity is food rescue and redistribution; complementary offerings include school-based breakfast distribution, a digital ordering portal, a donation portal, and a volunteer (Ehrenamt) program.

Product overview

Osnabrücker Tafel e.V. is a charitable food bank organization operating a unified network of food rescue and distribution services. The core offering is the Tafel food bank program, which collects surplus food from businesses and distributes it to people in need across 8 locations. The organization operates several interconnected services: the main Tafel distribution (Hauptausgabe), the Kindertafel children's breakfast program (which purchases fresh food rather than using rescued goods), the Bringdienst home delivery service for mobility-impaired individuals, and multiple satellite Ausgabestellen distribution points. Additional offerings include an online registration system for new visitors, a donation portal accepting various forms of contributions, and a volunteer program engaging approximately 280 community members. The Kindertafel specifically differentiates by purchasing fresh ingredients from retailers for school delivery, while the main Tafel focuses on food rescue from commercial sources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Osnabrücker Kindertafel: A dedicated sub-project of the Osnabrücker Tafel that provides daily school breakfasts and lunches to over 700 children at approximately 40 schools and kindergartens in Osnabrück. Food is purchased fresh from wholesalers and supermarkets, distinct from the regular Tafel food redistribution program.

Products and services

• Tafel (Hauptausgabe) — Main Food Bank Distribution Core food rescue and redistribution program of Osnabrücker Tafel e. V.: surplus, still-edible food donated by supermarkets, bakeries, and producers is collected daily and distributed free of charge to eligible individuals and families who prove low income (e.g. via a benefit notice). Food is handed out at the main distribution point and at eight branch Ausgabestellen across the city and surrounding districts, supported by approximately 280 volunteers and 13 full-time staff.
• Kindertafel — Children's Breakfast Program Supplementary program targeting children and youth (around 16% of total beneficiaries) from financially disadvantaged households. Participating partner schools identify eligible pupils and place orders through a digital school ordering portal; the association prepares and delivers pre-packed breakfast packages to the schools for distribution to the children.
• Bringdienst — Home Delivery Service Delivery service operated by Osnabrücker Tafel e. V. that brings pre-packed surplus food directly to the homes of registered beneficiaries who, because of age, illness, or limited mobility, are unable to attend a regular distribution at one of the eight branch points or the main center.
• Ausgabestellen — Eight Branch Distribution Points Local distribution network of eight Ausgabestellen (branch outlets) that complement the central Tafel point, allowing eligible beneficiaries to collect surplus food closer to where they live across the city of Osnabrück and surrounding districts.
• Digital School Ordering Portal (Kindertafel) Web-based ordering tool used by partner schools to place breakfast orders for the Kindertafel children's breakfast program, allowing schools to specify quantities and receiving addresses for delivery of pre-packed breakfast packages.
• Online Spendenportal — Online Donation Portal Web-based donation channel that lets private supporters and businesses contribute financial donations to Osnabrücker Tafel e. V. and, where relevant, dedicate them to programs such as the Kindertafel children's breakfast program.
• Online-Anmeldung — Beneficiary Self-Registration Online pre-registration process for individuals wishing to use the Tafel food distribution: prospective beneficiaries can submit their details online before completing registration in person at a distribution point with proof of low income.
• Ehrenamt — Volunteer Program Structured volunteer program by which around 280 active volunteers contribute labor across the Tafel, Kindertafel, Bringdienst, and branch distribution operations, alongside 13 full-time paid staff.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributes approximately 50 tons of rescued food weekly across 8 distribution locations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• AldicoreOthersMajor supermarket chain that donates food to the Tafel. Part of the network of food donors that provides rescued food items daily.
• LidlcoreOthersMajor supermarket chain that donates food to the Tafel. Part of the network of food donors that provides rescued food items daily.
• Thomas PhilippssupportingOthersVariety store chain that donates goods to the Tafel.
• Frischdienst UnioncoreOthersFresh food service company that supplies the Tafel with rescued food items.
• FronerisupportingOthersIce cream and frozen food company that donates products to the Tafel.
• IKEA OsnabrücksupportingOthersFurniture retailer that supports the Tafel through donations.
• Elektro BörgersupportingTechnology or IntegrationElectrical services company that provides technical support services to the Tafel.
• BallmeyersupportingOthersLocal company that supports the Tafel through donations.
• Schütte (FJS Schuette)supportingOthersLocal company partner supporting the Tafel through donations.
• Kaffee PartnersupportingOthersCoffee company that donates products to the Tafel.
• SievertsupportingOthersLocal company that supports the Tafel through donations.
• HHO (Osnabrücker Herdbuch-Genossenschaft)supportingOthersBreeding association that historically worked with the slaughterhouse area and continues to support the Tafel mission.
• Sparkasse OsnabrückcoreOthersLocal savings bank that provides the Tafel and Kindertafel bank accounts (IBAN: DE28 2655 0105 0000 2488 80 for Tafel, DE56 2655 0105 0000 2699 10 for Kindertafel).
• Bundesverband Deutsche Kindertafel e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational umbrella organization for children's food banks. Member organization that helps expand the network, raises public awareness about child poverty, organizes cross-regional donations, and supports new cities and municipalities in founding their own regional children's food banks.
• PayPalsupportingTechnology or IntegrationOnline payment processor enabling donors to make secure online donations via PayPal, credit card, or SEPA direct debit.
• KME SEsupportingOthersOwner of the industrial estate where the Tafel building is located. The Tafel operates as a subtenant of the city of Osnabrück on this property.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tafel Deutschland e.V. National umbrella organization of all German Tafeln with ~960 local affiliates. Directly comparable as the federation governing and supporting Osnabrücker Tafel, sharing mission, operating model, and corporate-donor framework (including Rewe, Edeka, Aldi, Lidl).
• Bundesverband Deutsche Kindertafel e.V. National umbrella for children's food banks in Germany. Osnabrücker Tafel is a member; the Bundesverband supports expansion of the Kindertafel sub-brand to other cities — directly comparable in mission and sub-brand operating model.

Direct peers

• Münchner Tafel e.V. Munich's regional Tafel providing rescued food to ~25,000 people weekly across ~30 distribution points. Directly comparable mission, structure, and reliance on a corporate volunteer/food-donor ecosystem.
• Hamburger Tafel e.V. Hamburg's regional Tafel running comparable food-rescue distribution from supermarkets to people in need. Same operating model, similar multi-location distribution and corporate-donor relationships as Osnabrücker Tafel.
• Berliner Tafel e.V. Largest German regional Tafel serving Berlin. Operates the same food-rescue and distribution model for people in need, with multiple distribution points, volunteers, and corporate food donor partnerships — a comparable scale-up of the Osnabrücker Tafel operating model.
• Kölner Tafel e.V. Cologne's regional Tafel running a multi-distribution-point model with similar volunteer-driven logistics and supermarket-donor relationships to Osnabrücker Tafel.
• Frankfurter Tafel e.V. Frankfurt's regional Tafel with food-rescue and distribution model serving ~4,000 people weekly. Directly analogous to Osnabrücker Tafel in operating principles and beneficiary profile.

Emerging players

• FoodCloud: Tech-enabled food-surplus redistribution platform operating across Ireland and Europe. Comparable food-rescue mission and corporate-retailer partnerships, though with greater digital/tech focus than Osnabrücker Tafel.
• FareShare UK: UK's largest food-rescue charity redistributing surplus food to a charity network. Comparable food-waste-rescue mission and corporate-donor pipeline, though operating nationally rather than locally.

Regional players

• Die Tafeln – Niedersachsen / Hannover: Direct regional neighbor within Lower Saxony running the same Tafel model in the Hannover area — analogous sub-regional peer for benchmarking donor dynamics and operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tafelosnabrueck
• Instagraminstagram.com/tafel_osnabrueck
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/osnabr%C3%BCcker-tafel-e.v.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Osnabrücker Tafel e. V.