They aim to be genuinely sustainable in every aspect of their business, with an innovative plastic-free food packaging system, a kitchen that keeps food waste to an absolute minimum by creating dishes using surplus vegetables, and staff who are all paid at least the London Living Wage (even though they are not in London). When they found they had surplus food that had been accrued from product development and seasonal gluts, they were committed to seeing how it could be put to good use and help people, rather than being wasted.

Having reached out to FareShare nationally, they were put in touch with the team in Cardiff as we have freezer capacity to safely store the surplus food they have available. We at FareShare Cymru are delighted that Dovebrook have so far donated over 100 kg of high-quality frozen meals for us to distribute to our charities and community groups.

Eleanor Weil co-founder of Dovebrook Kitchen, said:

We are delighted to be working with such a great charity network! I first discovered FareShare a few years ago when I volunteered at one of their central London hubs. The process was so streamlined and well thought out and it was a joy to drive around London distributing great food to so many diverse places that all greatly appreciated the donations. We deplore food waste and work hard to try and minimize it wherever we can which is why we are so pleased we are able to offer something of real value to people who need it the most.

Eleanor Weil, Co-Founder, Dovebrook Kitchen

FareShare Cymru is always delighted to work with food businesses that want to turn an environmental problem into a social solution. Simon Stranks, Food Sourcing Co-Ordinator for FareShare Cymru, said:

We’re ecstatic to work with Dovebrook Kitchen in helping to tackle food waste and fight hunger. It’s always great to be able to work with food and drink businesses that recognize that edible food is always better off going to people. We offer our sincere thanks to Dovebrook Kitchen, and look forward to being able to help them in the future in cutting their food waste levels to meet their Zero Waste commitments.

Simon Stranks, Food Sourcing Co-ordinator, FareShare Cymru

If you would like to discuss how FareShare Cymru can help your business to cut your food waste levels, reduce your emissions and fight hunger amongst vulnerable people, please contact food@fareshare.cymru

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Lewis Pies is a family-owned company that has been making pastries, breads and cakes since 1936, and have continued to grow and adapt the business to meet the demands of its customers. The business has transformed from a small bakery to a manufacturing site with a BRC Grade A; and this evolution has seen them introduce a range of new products to suit the needs of every customer. Lewis Pies are inextricably linked with their Welsh identity, and are seen as an integral part of their local community in Swansea and beyond. This is reflected in their partnerships with local Welsh businesses with whom they collaborate regularly, and in their commitment to using local ingredients wherever possible in their production process.

As the manufacturer of their own products, Lewis Pies found that they had items they had manufactured that were slightly too big to fit into the packaging of their client. Having been contacted by FareShare Cymru, they were keen to explore how we could prevent these items from going to waste, and instead divert them to vulnerable people through our network. On speaking of the decision to donate these surplus items to FareShare Cymru Wilfred Lewis, Managing Director of Lewis Pies, said

FareShare Cymru and the work they do is more important now, than ever. As a food manufacturer we have always been conscious about our food waste and the impact it has on the planet and how this could be better utilised. Working with FareShare Cymru gives us the opportunity to easily donate our surplus stock knowing that it will benefit those in need. We make a fantastic product and knowing it goes to a new home gives us a lot of satisfaction. Logistically FareShare are perfect to work with, they work around our needs and will go above and beyond to collect around our schedule. We look forward to working with FareShare and to continue supporting our local communities

Wilfred Lewis, Managing Director – Lewis Pies

Simon Stranks, Food Sourcing Coordinator for FareShare Cymru said:

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to work with an established Welsh brand like Lewis Pies. We are always encouraged when leaders in the food and drink industry in Wales share our view that food that is still perfectly edible is better off going to people – so Lewis Pies are the perfect fit for us. The chicken tikka pasties they’ve donated to us were incredibly well received by our members who have fed back how delicious they found them. We look forward to growing and developing our relationship with Lewis Pies to act as the ‘go to’ outlet for surplus items that may arise in the future.”

Simon Stranks, Food Sourcing Coordinator – FareShare Cymru

If your food business would like to discuss donating your surplus food to FareShare Cymru, get in touch today on food@fareshare.cymru

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A luxury item for many, OV Group’s donation of chocolate eggs meant that our members were able to enjoy a treat over the Bank Holiday weekend, which they may not have had without this donation.

Speaking about their decision to donate, Cherry Blumberg – Managing Director OV Group said:

The chocolate Easter Eggs are produced at our St Ives site, OV County’s, where this year the amazing team have produced over 1.1 million eggs!!! At OV we believe in our values, and “We Care” is one of our four principles values which guide us in our business. When we saw an opportunity to support our communities at Easter, through this donation to FareShare, we knew it was absolutely the right thing to do. If 10,000 Easter Eggs can bring 10,000 treats, and maybe a little cheer (10,000 smiles), to those who are struggling, especially as this really challenging time, this makes OV enormously proud.

Cherry Blumberg – Managing Director, OV Group

Thanking OV Group for the donation, Simon Stranks – Food Sourcing Coordinator for FareShare Cymru said:

FareShare Cymru is incredibly grateful whenever a food industry partner steps-up and makes sure surplus food goes to people wherever possible. We know that items like Easter eggs are a luxury that some of our members wouldn’t be able to afford, so we know this donation was able to put a smile on so many people’s faces. These Easter eggs were distributed amongst our community group and charity members, so we thank OV Group for going above and beyond by donating a massive quantity of high-quality chocolate eggs.

Simon Stranks – Food Sourcing Coordinator, FareShare Cymru

If your business agrees that surplus food is better off going to people rather than to waste, and would like to donate any surplus to FareShare Cymru, please contact Simon@fareshare.cymru

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Banc Organics is an organisation with sustainability rooted at its very core, and wants to ensure the food they grow is prevented from going to waste wherever possible. We at FareShare Cymru first met with Banc at a community/food sustainability???event, and began a discussion about using our Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund to make it cost-neutral to donate their surplus produce.

By using the fund, Banc Organics were able to cover the costs of harvesting and packing over 165kg of surplus organic brussels sprout sticks. These were then redistributed amongst our network of community groups and charities, providing access to a nutritious source of vitamins and minerals.

Discussing the decision to donate their surplus produce to FareShare Cymru, Alex Nicholas, Grower and Director, Banc Organics said:

Banc Organics grow healthy, nutritious fruit and vegetables, and have a keen interest in ensuring all of our growing is done within ethical standards to produce good, fresh food. We want to ensure that any produce that wouldn’t be commercially viable, but is still perfectly safe to consume, goes to a good home. With the sheer quantity of Brussels sprout sticks that we had available, and as a busy company, the Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund covered the costs of our labour for both picking and packing the surplus. We also didn’t have the capacity to transport these to FareShare, and they fully recognized this and arranged to collect the produce from our farm.

Alex Nicholas, Grower and Director, Banc Organics

If you would like to discuss donating surplus food to FareShare Cymru, please contact Food@Fareshare.cymru

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When staff have grown and nurtured a crop there is nothing worse for them than seeing food wasted. Rather than leaving them in the field we decided that it would be a good idea to donate them to this fantastic initiative by FareShare. The Surplus with Purpose initiative offers a solution to the problem of food waste, by allowing us to cover our own harvesting and labour costs for donating otherwise commercially unviable surplus.  

Matthew Thomas, National Account Manager at Puffin Produce

FareShare Cymru believe that food that is still edible is always better feeding people and Puffin agree with this ethos. The cauliflower will now be distributed to vulnerable people here in Wales and also amongst our UK-wide network of community groups and charities. 

In an increasingly uncertain world, the opportunity to give surplus food to charity has never been more important. The Surplus with Purpose initiative is easy to administer and the FareShare team are also a pleasure to work with. 

Matthew Thomas, National Account Manager at Puffin Produce

When an estimated 2m of the 3.6m tonnes of food wasted across the food industry is still good to eat, FareShare wants to ensure that it’s never cheaper to throw away good, nutritious food than to donate it vulnerable people. 

The Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund allowed producers, growers and manufacturers of all sizes to donate their edible surplus. The fund could be used to cover the costs of harvesting, labour, storage, packaging or transporting surplus food.  

Not only do these donations help people in genuine need, but they also help towards our company goal of reducing food waste in line with our commitment to the Courtauld Agreement 2025.

Matthew Thomas, National Account Manager at Puffin Produce

In addition to being good for people, reducing your business’s food waste levels is good for the planet. Through their donation of over 32 tonnes of surplus cauliflower, Puffin Produce has used the fund to prevent 94.163 tonnes of CO2 from being needlessly emitted, and over 49 million litres of water from going to waste from growing it.  

To discuss donating your food business’s surplus food, or for further questions, please get in touch via food@fareshare.cymru  

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South Caernarfon Creameries is Wales’ oldest dairy co-op which has been farmer-owned since 1938. They use only locally sourced milk to produce a range of top-quality award-winning Welsh butter and cheese.  

At SCC we attend numerous trade and consumer shows throughout the year. As part of these activities, we often have a display of products (that are) unable to re-enter the supply chain. FareShare Cymru provides an excellent opportunity for us not to waste these products, whilst also supporting local charities and the community. 

Kirstie Jones, Marketing Manager, South Caernarfon Creameries 

FareShare Cymru is incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from South Caernarfon Creameries. High-quality sources of protein are warmly welcomed by our community groups and charity members, with cheese often being a luxury item. SCC is playing a key part in helping us tackle food waste and fight hunger together. 

The economic climate at the minute is putting many families into food and energy poverty across Wales. This is going to be magnified further with the increase in energy price caps due in April. By donating edible food surplus to FareShare Cymru, you’re not only minimizing the impact on the environment and reducing waste but supporting the most in need in the community. 

Kirstie Jones, Marketing Manager, South Caernarfon Creameries 

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Micro Acres Wales is a small, urban farm based outside of Pontypridd, which began growing microgreens in 2021. Microgreens are a very nutrient-dense, rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can be used in a range of things such as salads, dressings and sandwiches.

Micro Acres Wales began when one of their founders, Chris, was diagnosed with the rare neurological condition, ‘Ataxia’. Along with his health concerns, a family of fussy eaters inspired Chris to utilize his ‘green fingers’ and he began growing microgreens to make sure the whole family were eating nutritiously. 

Micro Acres Wales now supply their microgreens to private customers, chefs, catering companies, delicatessens and cafes. They have also begun to attend farmer’s markets, which sometimes leaves them with surplus items that were no longer commercially viable.

As a growing business with a firm ethos of sustainability at its heart, Micro Acres Wales wanted to reduce their waste levels, and make sure that its microgreens were going to good use.

Having reached out to FareShare Cymru, we explored the possibility of using the Surplus With Purpose Cymru Fund to make it cost-neutral for them to donate their microgreens, providing nutrient-rich products for distribution across our network. FareShare Cymru was able to reimburse the costs associated with both the harvesting of the microgreens and the labour costs of packaging them in a ‘distribution-ready’ state.

“We really value being able to put any of our surplus produce to good use, and being able to access the Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund has been invaluable in this. As a growing firm, we need to balance doing the socially responsible thing with managing our own costs and outgoings. The Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund allows us to make sure that even when our microgreens are no longer commercially viable, or are approaching their end of life but are still perfectly safe to consume, they can do a lot of good in supporting vulnerable people”.

Donna Graves, the co-founder of Micro Acres Wales

“We at FareShare Cymru fully recognize how essential it is that people have access to fresh vegetables and produce as part of their diet. Unfortunately, vulnerable communities often find these the most difficult to access. We are delighted to be able to work with Micro Acres Wales to ensure that their microgreens are able to add vital nutrients to the diet of our network of members across Wales.”

Sarah Germain, CEO of FareShare Cymru

To find out how you could make it cost-neutral to donate your businesses’ food surplus using our Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund, click here.

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Zorba Delicacies is a multi-million-pound food manufacturer based in Ebbw Vale, South Wales making a variety of dips, houmous’, soups, meal pots and sandwiches. Due to last-minute order changes, they occasionally have surplus stock and, as their product is fresh, chilled food, it could be easily wasted due to its short shelf life.   

Zorba has been donating to Fareshare Cymru since August 2021 as they believe offering their surplus stock to charity is the right thing to do. FareShare Cymru then distributes the surplus food to over 170 community food groups across South Wales.  

It helps reduce our waste on-site, but also, in an age where there are so many global concerns, doing good is becoming more and more important. It seemed like a no-brainer. Fareshare does a really amazing job at turning an environmental problem into a solution.

Jacques Tasker, Commercial Executive, Zorba Delicacies  

FareShare Cymru hates seeing food going to waste so we welcome any discussion about how we can make it as easy as possible for food to be donated. We currently have our Surplus with Purpose Cymru Fund available to help with any extra costs.  

What makes Fareshare so great to work with is that they make donating surplus stock so easy. Whenever we have available stock for donation, through their friendly staff, we arrange a pickup time for one of their refrigerated vans to come and pick it up at no cost.

Jacques Tasker, Commercial Executive, Zorba Delicacies  

As well as helping prevent the surplus stock from going to landfill, Zorba’s relationship with FareShare Cymru is well received by their staff and customers. Improving staff morale is a proven reason why food businesses benefit from supporting good causes. (Charities Aid Foundation) 

FareShare Cymru is grateful for the food that Zorba donates which helps us feed thousands of vulnerable people each month. We hope our relationship will continue, to enable us to tackle food waste and hunger together. 

We couldn’t recommend Fareshare enough. They make doing good so easy for businesses like ours at not detriment to our business whatsoever. 

Jacques Tasker, Commercial Executive, Zorba Delicacies  

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2 Sisters Food Group based in Rogerstone, South Wales, have been with working with FareShare Cymru since the start of 2021. They are one of British business’s most compelling success stories of the past 20 years. More than 5,000 colleagues drawn from 36 nationalities help to make a mind-boggling array of some of the finest food in Britain – from poultry to pizza to pies, from ready meals to ranges of soup. 2 Sisters Food Group started out from very humble beginnings in the early 1990s, and from there the company has grown to become one of the leading food manufacturing companies in Europe, producing great quality, great value food.

Their contribution to our chilled surplus supplies, has been invaluable.

Ideally, twice a week, we make a detour from our delivery route to get collect surplus products and transfer them to our warehouse. The food is received by our team, is sorted by our volunteers and then sent out along with food orders, meaning their products are still fresh when they arrive at the schools, charities and community groups we support.

Thank you 2 Sisters Food Group, Rogerstone, we hope to continue our partnership.

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Fruitful Office delivers fruit to workplaces around the UK. When the pandemic closed workplaces, some of their clients, like Cardiff based MotoNovo Finance, asked for their weekly delivery to be diverted to those in need.

FareShare Cymru has received 1,440 portions of fruit a week as donated by MotoNovo Finance and has redistributed it to 150 charities and community projects across South Wales. The fruit has been enjoyed at places like children’s clubs, homeless hostels and refuges.

“A lot of our project service users don’t have easy access to food, particularly fruit and vegetables. Sometimes fruit isn’t a priority when people are feeding a family, but it is still important. We aim for our charity members to receive fruit and vegetables each week, and this donation helps us achieve this.”

Katie Padfield, Head of Development at FareShare Cymru

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