Plateful Cafe

What Plateful Cafe does

Plateful Cafe is a registered charity (number 1202710) operating in South East London, founded in 2021 with a workforce of approximately 11 staff and a largely volunteer-run operating model. Its functional mission is to provide livelihoods and integration support to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK by channeling their culinary and craft skills into commercial food experiences and an artisan marketplace.

The organization's core offerings comprise three interconnected lines: catering services (general and weddings) featuring international cuisines prepared by refugee chefs, a network of supper clubs that connect refugees and local residents through shared dining in South East London venues, and the Plateful Shop — an online marketplace selling handmade refugee-produced goods spanning food, art, crochet items, bags, and gift hampers, with UK-wide shipping. Supporting programs include hospitality training and a refugee business incubation stream that has onboarded its first supported refugee-led business, Nubian Delights, in 2025. Technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary, relying on Stripe for payments, Mailchimp for email, Google Forms for catering bookings, and standard social media channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube).

Revenue mechanics are diversified but individually small: quote-based catering, unit-priced e-commerce products (£5–£180), preset donations (£1–£20), and ticket/transaction-based supper clubs. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by a corporate channel partnership with Linklaters for refugee art sales. Customer segments span conscious individual consumers, event hosts, corporate buyers, local community members, and refugee artisans seeking income opportunities.

Name

Plateful Cafe

Legal name

Plateful Cafe

Website

https://platefulcafe.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee Support Charity Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG)

Keywords

• Refugee charity catering
• Community supper clubs
• Refugee artisan marketplace
• Hospitality training refugees
• Refugee business support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Catering Services: Tailored catering services for private parties and corporate events, lovingly made by refugee chefs offering international cuisines from Sudan to Syrian.
2. E-commerce Shop Sales: Online shop selling handmade refugee-created products including food items, art, crafts, bags, and gift items. Products sourced from supported refugee artisans.
3. Donations: Public donations accepted in various amounts (£1, £3, £5, £10, £15, £20) to support essential hospitality training for refugees and asylum seekers.
4. Events and Supper Clubs: Community dining events connecting refugees and local people through shared food experiences across South East London.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Plateful Cafe is a volunteer-run charity in South East London that operates a social enterprise supporting refugee chefs and artisans. It offers tailored catering services featuring international cuisines prepared by refugee chefs, hosts community supper clubs, and runs an online shop selling handmade refugee-created products including food items, art, crafts, bags, and gift hampers.

Product overview

Plateful Cafe is a refugee-led charity operating as a social enterprise with multiple interconnected offerings. The core services include catering for events with international cuisines prepared by refugee chefs, supper clubs connecting refugees with local communities, and a marketplace shop selling handmade refugee-created products. The support programs include refugee business incubation, hospitality training, and a donations mechanism. The product portfolio includes catering services, the online Plateful Shop (selling food items, art, crafts, bags, and gift hampers), supported refugee businesses like Nubian Delights (baked goods) and Fariba's crochet items, supper clubs, refugee business support, and hospitality training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nubian Delights: Refugee-led bakery business founded by Maysoon in 2025, specializing in custom cakes, mini cakes, cupcakes, and cookies with Nubian heritage recipes.
• Hilly Fields Cafe

Products and services

• Catering Services

Named customers4 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

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nubian DelightscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Founded by Maysoon, Nubian Delights is the first refugee-led business supported by Plateful Cafe in 2025. The partnership provides kitchen space, business support, event opportunities, and customer referrals to help Maysoon grow her custom cake business. Plateful Cafe supported Maysoon's participation in Mike's Table event alongside professional chefs.
• FaribacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIranian refugee artisan whose unique handmade crochet items including bags, fruit baskets, and decorative pieces are showcased and sold through Plateful Cafe's shop. Fariba previously worked as a teacher in Iran for thirty years.
• LinklatersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate partner with a dedicated product category on the Plateful Cafe shop featuring artworks by refugee artists. Products include paintings and prints available for corporate purchase.
• Mike's TableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent platform where Plateful Cafe and supported refugee entrepreneurs like Maysoon of Nubian Delights can showcase their culinary talents alongside professional chefs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CafePlateful
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PlatefulCafe
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plateful-cafe

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Plateful Cafe