Sufra NW London

What Sufra NW London does

Sufra NW London is a registered charity (Charity Number 1151911) established in 2013, headquartered on St. Raphael's Estate in the London Borough of Brent. The organization delivers emergency food aid, welfare and immigration advice, refugee resettlement support, and community wellbeing programming to residents facing poverty, food insecurity, and social exclusion. Its service portfolio spans a Food Bank operating from 2 hubs with 3 weekly sessions (referral-based), 4 Community Kitchens serving 25,514 meals annually, the award-winning St. Raphael's Edible Garden, the Advice Service and OpenARMS refugee programme (IAA-accredited), the Community Wellbeing Service (£4 weekly membership), and seasonal initiatives including the Winter Warmer Coat Drive (877 coats distributed). In the most recent reporting period, Sufra supported 14,335 people across 48,000+ instances of support and secured £145,108 in additional benefits income for guests.

The organization's revenue model is diversified across individual donations, corporate giving, crowdfunding campaigns (Launchgood, Virgin Money Giving, CAF), trust and foundation grants, Brent Council partnerships, and a modest recurring membership stream from the Community Wellbeing Service. Core food aid and advice services are free to beneficiaries; only CWS carries a fee. Distribution is anchored in a network of physical sites across Brent, with delivery services for guests unable to collect in person. Technology is limited to standard non-profit service delivery and referral management tools rather than proprietary platforms.

Sufra operates within a dense partnership ecosystem including Brent Council, The Felix Project (FareShare), Islamic Relief, Penny Appeal, HelloFresh, Citizens UK, NHS, Bridge Park Leisure Centre, Shaw Trust, and Citizens Advice Bureau — providing integrated wraparound support across food, health, legal, employment, and wellbeing domains. The charity is led by Executive Director Rajesh Makwana BEM with a small paid staff team supported by 258 volunteers contributing approximately 16,000 hours annually.

Name

Sufra NW London

Legal name

Sufra NW London

Website

https://sufra-nwlondon.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sufra NW London is a Brent-based registered charity delivering emergency food aid, welfare and immigration advice, refugee support, and community wellbeing programmes to residents facing poverty and food insecurity across North West London.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Food Aid and Community Support Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Emergency food aid
• Community kitchens
• Refugee support services
• Welfare advice
• Food poverty relief

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate donations, crowdfunding campaigns (Launchgood, Virgin Money Giving, CAF), Ramadan appeals, winter appeals, and special event fundraising. The organization runs annual appeals including Ramadan Appeal exceeding £60k target and ongoing general fundraising.
2. Charitable Grants: Funding from trusts, foundations and government bodies including Beta Charitable Trust (long-term sponsor since 2013, match funding for Ramadan Appeal), Brent Council partnerships, and various grant-making organizations for specific programs.
3. Community Wellbeing Service Membership: £4 weekly membership fee for Community Wellbeing Project providing access to community shop, café, kitchen, advice services, workshops and social events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sufra NW London is a registered charity (Charity No. 1151911) founded in 2013 and based in the London Borough of Brent. It runs an emergency food bank, community kitchens serving hot meals, a community shop, welfare and benefits advice, refugee resettlement support, a community garden, ESOL and training programmes, and community wellbeing services for vulnerable residents in NW London.

Product overview

Sufra NW London is a charity operating a network of integrated food aid and community support services across Brent, London. The core offering comprises Food Banks (2 hubs with 3 weekly sessions), Community Kitchens (4+ weekly sessions across multiple locations including Ark Elvin Academy, Granville Community Kitchen, and Bridge Park), and St. Raphael's Edible Garden. These gateway services connect guests to holistic support including the Advice Service, OpenARMS refugee programme, and Community Wellbeing Service (offering Community Shop, Café, Kitchen, and workshops for £4 weekly membership). Additional services include Fresh Meal Delivery, Food Academy Plus (AQA-accredited hospitality training), Summer Academy (AQA-accredited course for youth), ESOL classes, holiday programmes, and seasonal Winter Warmer Coat Drive. The organization redistributes surplus food and operates food growing projects to promote sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Bank
• Community Kitchen
• Community Shop
• Community Café
• Advice Service
• OpenARMS Refugee Resettlement Programme
• St. Raphael's Edible Garden
• Community Wellbeing Service
• Fresh Meal Delivery
• Food Academy Plus
• ESOL Classes
• Holiday Activities and Summer Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,335 people supported to access nutritious food with 48,000+ instances of support
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brent Council (CWP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Brent Council's Community Wellbeing Partnership to fund and support the Community Wellbeing Project. Provides operational support, funding, and integration with council services.
• Ark Elvin AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal secondary school hosts evening Community Kitchen sessions and annual Christmas Day dinner for 200 guests. Partnership enables large-scale community feeding events.
• The Felix ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFareShare Network Partner that supplies surplus food which is redistributed through Sufra's food bank and community kitchens. Featured in Omaze advertisement with James May.
• Islamic ReliefcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in refugee support and humanitarian work. Supported van appeal and various community initiatives. Major humanitarian organization.
• Penny AppealminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable partner for the Big Orange Hug winter event providing pampering services, food, and support for homeless and vulnerable people.
• HelloFreshminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelloFresh Gardens partnership with Social Farms & Gardens sponsoring activities at St. Raphael's Edible Garden. Supports food waste reduction education through CurrEATulum program.
• Social Farms & GardenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-wide charity network for food growing and garden projects. Sufra is a proud member with St. Raphael's Edible Garden featured in campaigns.
• Metroland CulturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural organization partnership resulting in the 'With Us All' glasshouse sculpture project at St. Raphael's Edible Garden, part of Brent Biennial 2022 Community Commission.
• Bridge Park Leisure CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Wellbeing Project partnership providing free gym memberships, classes and sauna access for adult and junior members and their families.
• Shaw TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployment and skills charity providing wraparound support services for Community Wellbeing Project members.
• Citizens Advice BureauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides financial guidance and advice support as part of the multi-agency wraparound services for Community Wellbeing Project.
• Citizens UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organizing partnership for campaigns including free bus travel for asylum seekers. Participated in assembly at City Hall with 105 participants from 24 organizations.
• St. Raphael's Estate Residents AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with estate residents for community events including Winter Wonderland fair, garden activities, and community development.
• Brent StartminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrent Council's adult education service providing wraparound support and learning opportunities for guests.
• Who Is HussainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable partner for homeless food drives supplementing Sufra's emergency food distribution.
• Green DoctorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy efficiency advice service providing support for Community Wellbeing Project members with utility cost reduction.
• Central and North West London NHS Foundation TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS mental health trust providing healthcare support as part of wraparound services for guests.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FareShare: UK-wide surplus food redistribution network; Sufra is a FareShare Network Partner. Comparable as both a redistributor and a recipient hub, operating the same charity-led food rescue model.
• City Harvest London: London-based food redistribution charity collecting surplus food and delivering to charities serving people in need. Highly comparable to Sufra in mission, geography and beneficiary base.
• The Trussell Trust: Operates the largest UK food bank network with a referral-based parcel model similar to Sufra's. Most direct comparable for emergency food aid delivery structure and beneficiary interface.
• The Felix Project: London-based food redistribution charity that supplies surplus food to over 1,000 frontline organisations including Sufra. Direct strategic partner and operational peer in the food poverty space with similar beneficiary base in London.
• FoodCycle: UK charity serving community meals to people facing food poverty using surplus ingredients. Direct peer in community kitchen operations, free hot meal service and volunteer-driven delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Locality: National network supporting community-led organisations across England. Comparable as a wider umbrella/community infrastructure body whose members operate similar neighbourhood-level social services to Sufra.
• Citizens UK: UK community organising alliance of which Sufra is a member. Comparable as a broader advocacy/coalition body working on related anti-poverty campaigns including the free bus travel for asylum seekers initiative Sufra participates in.
• Refugee Council: National refugee charity providing specialist advice and advocacy, comparable in scope to Sufra's OpenARMS refugee support service. A larger established player in the same immigration advice and resettlement space.
• St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity (Frontline Network): Long-established London charity supporting homeless and vulnerable people through grants, frontline services and the Frontline Network. Comparable to Sufra's homeless support, advice and community engagement work in London.

Regional players

• Single Homeless Project: London-based charity providing accommodation, support and advice services for single homeless people. Comparable to Sufra's homeless guest cohort, advice service and Brent-based delivery, but with a different primary focus on housing rather than food aid.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebooken-gb.facebook.com/SufraNWLondon
• Instagraminstagram.com/sufranwlondon
• Xtwitter.com/sufranwlondon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sufra-nw-london

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Sufra NW London