Plymouth warehouse launch: Food Partner spotlight
As we launch into Devon and Cornwall, we aim to distribute food for one million meals from our Plymouth warehouse by 2023. That’s over 420 tonnes of surplus food diverted from waste. Good food, in date food, nutritious food.
We know that hundreds of South West food suppliers currently have no alternative but to throw away their surplus. With no way to safely distribute on scale to frontline charities, there is sometimes no easy solution for food companies. Most small charities would be unable to take pallets of surplus food at late notice.
That’s where FareShare South West fits in. We take large-scale surplus into our warehouses, break them down into useful orders and deliver weekly to charities.
Which is why we are so proud to introduce some of our very first food partners in Devon and Cornwall- which will benefit not only charities in these regions, but across the South West:
1. Riverford Organic Farmers
Riverford Organic Farmers, based in Devon, is known for their award-winning ethics on all fronts. From being a certified B-Corp, to committing to being 100% organic, sustainability is at the heart of everything they do. Sending their larger-scale surplus to FareShare South West is just one of the ways they fight food waste. They give smaller scale veg to other local charities. They also limit waste through their model of selling direct to customers and working closely with growers.
Working with FareShare South West means that if Riverford has pallets of surplus, a volunteer can collect and distribute safely to over 50 local projects. This means they can get more to human consumption and less to the cows and compost.
Rowan at Riverford tells us ‘We hope that working with FareShare will really help us reduce the volume of waste fruit and veg we would normally send to compost or animals. It’s great to know that food that we previously couldn’t find a home for is now feeding families across the South West.’
2. Tideford Organics
Tideford Organics is another Devon company known for its commitment to sustainability. Their delicious vegan, organic soups are made at their Devon factory and sold across the UK. They batch cook their soups, and want to ensure every last drop is eaten, not thrown away. Their surplus was hard to distribute safely, being large scale and chilled. Now, a FareShare South West volunteer now collects surplus product once a fortnight from Tideford in our chiller van. They can rely on a safe solution for their food, and we can send it to charities in manageable quantities.
Christine Forrest at Tideford tells us, “It is fantastic that we can use our surplus nutritious soups for FareShare to redistribute to southwest charities. This ensures not only that nothing goes to waste, but also that families and individuals that need it most, won’t go hungry.”
3. Trewithen Dairies
Trewithen Dairies started to work with FareShare’s head office at the beginning of 2020, supplying surplus milk, butter, and cream. Thanks to our new Plymouth warehouse, we now collect excess product on the return route of our weekly delivery to Tintagel.
Francis Clarke, Trewithen Dairy’s Managing Director (Commercial) tells us, “We are passionate about preventing food waste, so we were keen to partner with a company who could distribute across the country to local charities.
We chose to work with FareShare to get products to people who need them quickly, which is essential for fresh products to prevent them going to waste. We look forward to continuing and developing this rewarding partnership.”
4. The Cornwall Bakery
The Cornwall Bakery is the home of Ginsters. We have received their products since 2020, and can now accept even more thanks to our expansion.
We spoke to Communications and Engagement Officer at The Cornwall Bakery, Sarah Martin. She tells us, “In food manufacturing, despite the best forecasting and planning, there will always be a surplus. We are proud to be working together with FareShare for the redistribution of our surplus savoury pastry products. We know that any surplus they take ends up providing additional nourishment for those that need it the most. Now with this new Plymouth warehouse, we will be helping FareShare provide that assistance much closer to our Callington home. This will aid us be the force for good in our communities that we aspire to be in the Samworth Brothers Group.”
5. Frobishers
Frobishers have been providing us with delicious luxury cordials since April. So far they have sent over 4 tonnes our way. That’s enough for over 20,000 drinks!
David Pearce, Managing Director at Frobishers tells us “The juice and soft drinks industry is already taking huge strides to reduce food waste. In line with our commitment towards sustainability, our partnership with FareShare is just one step towards eliminating waste, whilst simultaneously supporting an excellent organisation in their efforts in these very challenging economic times.”
