Plum Village UK

What Plum Village UK does

Plum Village UK is the UK operating name of The Community of Interbeing UK, a registered charity (number 1096680) and company limited by guarantee (number 4623280) founded in 2003 and headquartered in Yatton, Bristol. The organization propagates the engaged-Buddhist mindfulness tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh ("Father of Mindfulness") through more than 100 local and online sanghas covering 14 UK regions, plus specialized sub-communities such as Diamond Moon (neurodiverse/disabled practitioners) and Wake Up (under-35s). Core service offerings include structured 6-week online courses (The Art of Zen, Living Mindfully, Looking Deeply), residential and online retreats hosted at UK venues including Woodbrooke and the Being Peace Practice Centre, and Dharma teacher/Order of Interbeing formation pathways.

The underlying technology footprint is modest and consumer-facing: a WordPress website with WooCommerce e-commerce, online course delivery, the Plum Village App (iOS/Android) for guided meditations, and video-conference-based online sanghas. Distribution combines an owned digital storefront (187+ book titles, mindfulness bells, calligraphy notecards, CDs/DVDs/MP3s, calendars), direct participation in retreats and courses, and a community-led GTM that funnels practitioners from newsletter ('Here and Now') and blog/Instagram awareness into sangha membership, donations, and paid programs.

Plum Village UK operates a hybrid non-profit revenue model: recurring donations and memberships, transaction fees from retreats and online courses, and transactional e-commerce sales of physical goods and media. Pricing ranges from £4 notecards to £275 large mindfulness bells, with most books at £12–£33; course and retreat pricing is not publicly disclosed. The entity has no parent company, no funding rounds, no disclosed financial figures, and is governed by a board of trustees drawn from members of the Plum Village community.

Name

Plum Village UK

Legal name

The Community of Interbeing UK

Website

https://plumvillage.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mindfulness Practice Services

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Meditation Retreats, Workshops & Immersive Programs (HSADAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Yoga & Meditation Experiences (Studio Classes, Guided Meditation, Mindfulness) (THAJAHAA), Wellness & Mindfulness Classes (Yoga Workshops, Meditation, Breathwork) (THAJAKAK), Guided Meditation Instruction (1:1 & Group) (HSADAJAA), Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness) (THAGAMAB)

Keywords

• Mindfulness courses
• Meditation retreats
• Practice groups
• Engaged Buddhism
• Contemplative workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Yatton, Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Online Shop Sales: Sales of books (including works by Thich Nhat Hanh and related authors), mindfulness bells, calligraphy notecards, CDs/DVDs/MP3s, calendars, and children's books. The shop sells 187 book titles and 10+ media items.
2. Donations and Membership: The organization relies on donations and membership fees as a registered charity. The website includes 'Donate' and 'Become a Member' options. Gift Aid administration for UK taxpayers is mentioned in the privacy policy.
3. Course and Retreat Fees: Revenue from paid courses (online 6-week programs) and retreat registrations. The organization offers both free events (Mindful Mornings) and paid programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Plum Village UK delivers mindfulness teachings rooted in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh through structured 6-week online courses (The Art of Zen, Living Mindfully, Looking Deeply), multi-day residential and online retreats led by Dharma Teachers, and a network of over 100 local and online sanghas (practice groups). It also sells mindfulness-related books, bells, calligraphy notecards, audio recordings, and calendars through its own e-commerce shop, and offers guided meditations through the Plum Village App.

Product overview

Plum Village UK is a mindfulness organization offering a portfolio of services centered on the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. The core offerings include mindfulness courses (The Art of Zen, Living Mindfully, Looking Deeply), retreats, and access to practice groups (sanghas) across the UK. Digital products include the Plum Village App for guided meditation. The organization also operates an e-commerce store selling books by Thich Nhat Hanh and other teachers, mindfulness bells, calligraphy notecards, audio recordings (CDs/MP3s), and calendars. Physical services include the Being Peace Centre as a dedicated practice facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mindfulness Courses Online 6-week structured programmes including 'The Art of Zen', 'Living Mindfully', and 'Looking Deeply', teaching mindfulness practices based on the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh for adult learners in the UK and beyond.
• Retreats In-person and online mindfulness retreats led by Dharma Teachers, offering immersive multi-day practice experiences in the Plum Village tradition for individuals and groups.
• Practice Groups (Sanghas) Over 100 local mindfulness practice groups across the UK meeting both in-person and online to practice meditation together in the Plum Village tradition. Includes general sanghas, Wake Up groups for under 35s, and the Diamond Moon Sangha for disabled and neurodiverse practitioners.
• Plum Village App Mobile application offering guided meditations by Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village teachers to support daily mindfulness practice for individual users.
• Being Peace Centre Physical practice centre operated by Plum Village UK serving as a dedicated home for mindfulness practice, community connection, and contemplative activities.
• Online Shop - Books Retail selection of 187+ mindfulness and Buddhist books by Thich Nhat Hanh and related authors, including adult titles, children's books, and Buddhism & Christianity works, sold via the Plum Village UK online shop.
• Online Shop - Mindfulness Bells Mindfulness bells (Large Bell £275, Small Bell £50) used in Plum Village meditation practice, sold via the online shop.
• Online Shop - Calligraphy Notecards and Stationery Calligraphy notecards featuring Thich Nhat Hanh's mindfulness teachings, plus stationery sets such as the 'Peace is Every Step' box of 12 (£24) and Mindfulness Essentials (£22), sold individually from £4.
• Online Shop - CDs, DVDs and MP3s Mindfulness audio recordings including CDs (£13-£20), MP3 downloads (from £10), and DVDs such as the Walk With Me documentary, supporting home meditation practice.
• Online Shop - Calendars Annual Thich Nhat Hanh Wall Calendar (£13) featuring mindfulness imagery and teachings, sold as an annual retail item.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Woodbrooke Quaker Study CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Woodbrooke, a Quaker study centre in Birmingham, partners with Plum Village UK to host the annual 'Mindfully Together' retreat, now in its 13th year (as of 2019). The retreat brings together Plum Village practitioners and Quaker Friends to nourish mutual understanding and shared insights. The partnership represents interfaith dialogue and shared contemplative practice.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Headspace: A leading consumer meditation and mindfulness app with guided meditations, courses, and sleep content. Comparable as a digital mindfulness delivery channel competing with the Plum Village App for the same practitioner base.
• Calm: A major consumer mindfulness, meditation, and sleep app. Comparable to the Plum Village App in providing guided meditation content and structured mindfulness programs, though serving a broader commercial audience.
• Mindful.org: A nonprofit media organization publishing mindfulness content and directory of practitioners. Comparable to Plum Village UK's content/blog arm as a trusted mindfulness information resource targeting the same practitioner audience.
• Insight Timer: A large free meditation app hosting thousands of teachers including Plum Village teachers. Comparable as a digital platform offering guided meditations and community features that overlap with Plum Village UK's online sangha and app offerings.

Direct peers

• Spirit Rock Meditation Center: A US-based Insight Meditation retreat center offering residential retreats, daylong programs, and online courses. Comparable as an established meditation retreat organization with residential retreats, structured courses, and a teacher network.
• Gaia House: A UK-based Buddhist retreat center in Devon offering meditation retreats and teacher training. Highly comparable as a UK-centered mindfulness/meditation retreat provider serving similar practitioners with residential programs.
• Sharpham Trust: A UK charity offering mindfulness retreats, courses, and a residential community on the Sharpham estate in Devon. Comparable as a UK-based charity delivering residential mindfulness retreats and introductory courses.
• Insight Meditation Society: A US-based center for Insight Meditation offering residential retreats and teacher training. Comparable in offering residential meditation retreats, sangha/community structure, and a structured path for practitioner development.
• Plum Village (International): The global Plum Village organization headquartered in France that Plum Village UK is directly affiliated with. Both share the same Thich Nhat Hanh teachings, retreat offerings, and Plum Village App, making it the most direct peer despite operating in a different country.

Regional players

• Samye Foundation: A UK-based Buddhist center offering meditation courses, retreats, and teacher training in the Tibetan tradition. Comparable as a UK-based charity providing structured mindfulness/meditation programs and community practice to similar demographics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@plumvillageapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plum-village-uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Plum Village UK