Foodbuy Group is a leading procurement organisation based in the UK. With over £2.5 billion of managed spend, they bring together the widest range of foodservice and hospitality clients on the planet to buy food, and everything associated with it. They work closely with their clients to deliver market-leading procurement solutions and insights for the service industry, backed by the world’s largest contract caterer, Compass Group.
Foodbuy Group won the Footprint Award for their Pitch Social Initiative – an innovative annual event designed to deliver social value and diversify their supplier base. The event gives social enterprises, B-Corps, minority-owned suppliers and other small to medium-sized enterprises a platform to access a multibillion-pound supply chain within the foodservice industry.
Their 2024 Pitch Social event was attended by over 100 people and featured business pitches and product showcases from 18 social enterprises, B-Corps, and minority-owned businesses. These socially conscious suppliers were invited to pitch their business to a panel consisting of Foodbuy Group colleagues and clients, allowing them to showcase their exceptional work in their respective fields, with the opportunity to become listed as a Foodbuy Group supplier upon selection. If not selected, the supplier can undergo a 6-12-month mentorship programme with Foodbuy Group stakeholders.
When the first Pitch Social event was held in 2022, the initial aim was to connect Foodbuy Group and their clients with socially and environmentally conscious suppliers. The event was a win win, with both demand for more sustainable solutions from clients, and Foodbuy Group’s desire to enhance social value and diversify their supply chain. This tactile and engaging event aimed to ensure they are utilising their purchasing power to do good, for people and planet, whilst supporting their clients in hitting their sustainability targets.
Foodbuy Group’s initial target to spend £5 million with social enterprises was set in 2021, and they felt that this engaging, in person event would help them to hit this target. Today, they are exceptionally proud that their Pitch Social events have played a huge part in them surpassing their initial social enterprise spend target – they have now spent over £15 million with social enterprises, onboarding 16 socially conscious suppliers off the back of these events.
These collaborative events are also a brilliant networking opportunity and aim to inspire more and more people to do the right thing. By giving these suppliers a platform to access a multibillion-pound supply chain within the foodservice industry, Foodbuy Group are leading by example, inspiring others to see the importance of prioritising socially and environmentally conscious suppliers to build a more sustainable future in the industry.
As this annual event has developed, they have been looking at how they can further enhance the event series to drive more positive change. Therefore, they launched their new mentorship program at their 2024 event to create new benefits. The program will support suppliers that attended the event but were not chosen to be listed, providing them with tools to enhance their skillset. As of now, 6 suppliers who were not onboarded have been invited to participate in the mentorship program, which launched in March 2025.
Throughout this mentorship scheme, these businesses are paired with a Compass Group Sector executive mentor for one-on-one engagement. This cultivates lasting relationships. The goal of the program is to enhance business knowledge and best practices to future develop these suppliers’ business operations. The scheme covers a range of topics, such as navigating tender processes, culinary information, business knowledge, sustainability, communications, and more.
The event has grown significantly since 2022, and Foodbuy Group are holding their next Pitch Social event in 2025, with the aim to onboard additional suppliers and further utilise their scale and spend for good. This will be the largest Pitch Social yet, and they will be communicating with our clients and category teams to ensure those invited to pitch suit their clients’ needs, while generating social value.
