Waste2Taste • Oxford

What Waste2Taste • Oxford does

Waste2Taste is a Community Interest Company (CIC) founded in March 2017 by Sandra and Marie in Oxford, UK, operating a community cafe in East Oxford (Shotover View, OX4 2SQ, open Tuesday-Friday 9:30am-2:30pm) and a catering service throughout Oxfordshire. The core operating premise is using 100% surplus ingredients to prepare vegan/vegetarian food, addressing food waste and food poverty simultaneously. The company runs paid catering menus (sandwich platters at £9.90/person, salads at £10.90/person, canapés at £1.80 each, Buddha bowls at £9.90, and mezze/grazing platters ranging from £15 individual boxes to £150 large platters) alongside free community programmes including a Free Cooked Meals Program, Freezer of Love, Kindness Menu pay-it-forward scheme, and 10-week Cooking for Health & Wellbeing workshops.

The business model is hybrid: cafe and catering generate earned income (with £17.50 in-city bike delivery via Velocity Cycle Couriers), donations flow through a Kindness Menu and Givey platform, and grants from the National Lottery Community Fund, Oxfordshire Community Foundation, Charities Aid Foundation, Sport England, Oxford City Council, and the Oxford Food Hub subsidise community programming. All catering profits are reinvested into free meals per company statements. The technology stack is non-proprietary — Squarespace website, Stripe payments, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Canva — with no disclosed software IP. Distribution is intentionally local: walk-in cafe footfall, bike delivery within Oxford city, electric van for Oxfordshire-wide catering.

Customer segments split between (i) B2C cafe visitors and food-insecure residents in OX4 served via free/affordable meals, and (ii) B2B catering clients including the University of Oxford (conferences and events of 200+ guests), Oxford City Council's Sustainable City Team, and Brothers Oxford. The team comprises approximately five core staff and has won Best Cafe in Oxfordshire (2023) and attended the Oxfordshire Business Awards 2026.

Name

Waste2Taste • Oxford

Legal name

Waste2Taste

Website

https://waste2taste.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Waste2Taste is an Oxford-based Community Interest Company running a community cafe and catering service that uses surplus ingredients to address food waste and food poverty, serving OX4 residents via free meals and Oxfordshire corporate and university clients via vegan/vegetarian catering menus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Food Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs) (EUAIAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bulk Food & Refill Stores (Package-Free/Zero-Waste) (CRAHAMAA)

Keywords

• Surplus food catering
• Community cafe services
• Food waste reduction
• Free meal programs
• Corporate event catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cafe Operations: Community cafe in East Oxford serving food made from surplus ingredients. Open Tuesday-Friday 9.30am-2.30pm. Revenue from food and drink sales.
2. Catering Services: Catering for corporate events, university events, conferences, weddings and private parties throughout Oxfordshire. Menus include sandwiches, salads, grazing platters, Buddha bowls, canapes, and celebration cakes. All profits revert into free meals for those in need.
3. Donations: Pay-it-forward scheme (Kindness Menu) allowing customers to purchase meals for those in need. Donations accepted via Givey platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Waste2Taste is a Community Interest Company that runs a community café in East Oxford and a catering service across Oxfordshire, both built around menus made from surplus ingredients. Catering and café revenue is reinvested to fund free cooked meals for people experiencing food poverty, alongside community workshops, a Freezer of Love, and a pay-it-forward Kindness Menu.

Product overview

Waste2Taste is a Community Interest Company offering a portfolio of food-related products and social services. The core offerings consist of a Community Café (open Tuesday to Friday 9:30am-2:30pm in East Oxford) and a Catering Service (providing vegan/vegetarian menus throughout Oxfordshire). These are complemented by social support programs including a Free Cooked Meals Program, Cooking for Health & Wellbeing Workshops, a Freezer of Love, and a Kindness Menu pay-it-forward scheme. The company also operates a SESI Refill Station for sustainable household products. The catering menus include Sandwich Menu, Salad Menu, Canapés Menu, Buddha Bowl Menu, and Mezze/Grazing Platters, with additional celebration cake services. All profits from catering revert into funding free meals for those in need in the OX4 community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Café Walk-in café in East Oxford (Shotover View, Craufurd Rd, OX4 2SQ) serving a seasonal menu made from surplus ingredients, open Tuesday–Friday 9.30am–2.30pm. Includes a Freezer of Love, Kindness Menu, and mini larder for community food support.
• Catering Service Catering service providing vegan and vegetarian menus (sandwiches, salads, grazing platters, Buddha bowls, canapés, celebration cakes) for corporate events, university events, conferences, weddings, and private parties throughout Oxfordshire. All profits revert into free meals for those in need. Supplier to the University of Oxford.
• Free Cooked Meals Program Provides healthy, home-cooked meals to people experiencing food poverty. Distribution via Oxford Mutual Aid to vulnerable groups including those with health/disability issues, low income, elderly, vulnerably housed, single parents, and those lacking cooking facilities.
• Cooking for Health & Wellbeing Workshops 10-week nutrition and cooking support courses for groups such as parents, young kids, and homeless/vulnerably housed individuals, focusing on affordable, healthy meal preparation skills.
• Sandwich Menu (Catering) Platter of vegan/vegetarian sandwiches on various breads (baguette, ciabatta, open bagels, sourdough), home-baked cake, fresh fruit, and crisps at £9.90 per person for catering clients.
• Salad Menu (Catering) Vegan/vegetarian finger food with salad options and fresh fruit at £10.90 per person for catering clients.
• Canapés Menu (Catering) Individual canapés at £1.80 per piece, suggested in quantities of 4–12 per person depending on event type, for receptions and celebrations.
• Buddha Bowl Menu (Catering) Colourful and nutritious meal in a bowl combining vegetables, grains, proteins, and sauces at £9.90 per bowl for catering clients.
• Mezze/Grazing Platters (Catering) Mix of vegetarian/vegan Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours. Available in Individual Box (£15), Small feed 3–4 (£40), Medium feed 6–8 (£80), Large feed 12–16 (£150).
• Celebration Cakes (Catering) Bespoke celebration cakes made to order for catering clients, taking into consideration customer budget and preferences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7.5 tonnes of food waste diverted from landfill
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oxford Mutual AidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Partnership for distribution of free cooked meals to people experiencing food poverty. Meals distributed via Oxford Mutual Aid to LSOAs of Blackbird Leys, Rosehill and Littlemore.
• OX4 Food CrewcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Community food initiative partnership for food poverty support and meal distribution in OX4 area.
• Velocity Cycle CourierscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSustainable delivery partner for Oxford city catering deliveries. Uses cargo bikes to reduce carbon emissions - 386.843 KgCo2e savings. Cost of £17.50 per delivery added to invoices.
• BPHAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association partner. Cafe located on BPHA property at Shotover View. Engages supportively with BPHA and local partners to tackle isolation and loneliness.
• Oxford Food HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded by Oxford Food Hub. Part of the Oxford food ecosystem.
• Oxford City CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded by Oxford City Council. Catering client for Sustainable City Team events.
• The Gypsy BakerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSourdough workshop collaborator. Hannah Bironzo founded The Gypsy Baker workshops during 2020 lockdown, providing Zoom sessions teaching friends sourdough making.
• University of OxfordcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHonored to be a supplier. Catering for university events including conferences, trainings, meetings and celebrations for over 200 guests as private parties and weddings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Olio: UK food-sharing app enabling neighbour-to-neighbour and business-to-consumer sharing of surplus food. Comparable mission of reducing food waste through community redistribution, but tech-mediated rather than café-based.
• Karma: Surplus food marketplace app connecting restaurants and retailers with consumers to sell excess food at discounted prices. Comparable surplus food recovery and direct-to-consumer delivery angle to Waste2Taste's café model.
• Refettorio: Network of chef-led community kitchens turning surplus food into high-quality meals for those in need, founded by chef Massimo Bottura. Comparable combination of surplus ingredients, high-quality cooking, and dignified community dining, though internationally distributed rather than UK-only.

Direct peers

• FareShare: UK's largest food surplus redistribution charity, redistributing surplus food to community organisations. Comparable surplus food mission though at much larger redistribution scale rather than direct-to-consumer café.
• The Real Junk Food Project: UK social enterprise operating pay-as-you-feel cafés and share houses using intercepted surplus food. Closely comparable operating model to Waste2Taste's café + community-pantry combination.
• Plan Zheroes: UK food surplus social enterprise matching businesses with surplus food to local charities and community groups. Comparable UK surplus food redistribution focus with Oxford-area roots.
• FoodCycle: UK charity that cooks surplus food into free community meals for people experiencing food poverty. Most directly comparable to Waste2Taste in combining surplus ingredient utilization, free community meals, and volunteer-driven cooking operations across multiple UK locations.

Regional players

• The Bread and Butter Thing: UK social enterprise redistributing surplus food via community membership hubs in the North of England. Comparable surplus food → community access model but geographically focused outside Oxfordshire.
• The Felix Project: London-based food surplus redistribution charity rescuing surplus food and delivering to schools, charities and community groups. Comparable food waste reduction and community food mission but operating in London rather than Oxfordshire.

Others

• Hubbub: UK environmental charity running community-based environmental campaigns including food waste initiatives. Adjacent enabler operating in the same food-waste/community-impact space and likely connected via grant or partnership ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/waste2tasteox
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waste2taste

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Waste2Taste • Oxford