At FareShare South West, we get food from both the big national supermarkets and local South West producers. Our local food partners are very important to us. They supply us with a steady stream of fresh, locally produced quality foods which are often a real treat for our charity members.

One of our longest-standing and most dedicated local partners is Pullin’s, a bakery based in the village of Yatton, in North Somerset. They have been with us since our beginnings in 2007.

Pullin’s was set up in the autumn of 1925 by Thomas George Pullin, an ambitious farmer who kicked off his welly boots for the last time, sold his land and livestock and opened his bakery. The bakery has been working with FareShare for 10 years, providing a wide range of products from bread and rolls to pastries and cakes.  

Keith is one of Pullin’s van drivers. Three times a week, he makes a detour on his delivery route to get surplus products to our warehouse. The food is received by our team early each morning, 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.

“I’ve been a Pullin’s driver for years and I’ve been doing the FareShare delivery since the beginning. It’s just good to know you’re helping people out, and knowing the products are going to the best home possible when they can’t be sold.”

Thanks to the generosity and cooperation of the Pullin’s team, their surplus food is being disposed of in the most sustainable way possible. A morning delivery of bread to our warehouse could be enjoyed that afternoon by a homeless person in a shelter, someone seeking help from a refugee charity, or a child at a Youth Club working in one of Bristol’s most deprived areas.

“As in most food industries, making the exact number of products needed can be tricky”, says Pullin’s Marketing Manager, Tristan Hunt.  “Our orders are being placed up until the afternoon each day but we need to start producing before the final number is known.  Once our customer order picking is completed, there are inevitably some products that are therefore not needed.  Back in the early years these surplus goods would have been fed to Thomas George’s pigs in the garden at the back of the bakery.  Today it’s great to know these products are still not going to waste and are in fact helping the more vulnerable and disadvantaged in our local community.”

Lucy, who works with the warehouse team at FSSW, said “Having fresh, locally produced bakery products definitely makes a big difference to our charity members and the people they support. So many support services have really tight budgets, and these are quality foods which many charities wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.”

This in turn is passed on to their beneficiaries, who can feel well cared for through the food they receive. While we give all our members a range of fresh, healthy foods, having treat foods like cakes is important for some members too- just last week we were able to provide cakes for an elderly person’s birthday party at a local lunch club.

Thank you Pullin’s, and here’s to another ten years of partnership!

If your food company is looking for an alternative solution to your surplus food, we would love to talk to you! Take a look at our Give Food page for more information.