Foodbuy Group launches social enterprise supplier mentorship programme
22 December 2025
In November 2025, Foodbuy Group delivered a tailored edition of our Pitch Social event series in partnership with our client, Avanti West Coast (AWC), bringing together socially conscious suppliers and senior decision makers for a unique collaborative event.
Pitch Social – powered by Foodbuy Group in partnership with Avanti West Coast welcomed eight purpose-led suppliers, including micro businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises, VCSEs, and minority-owned and diverse enterprises. Each supplier showcased their products and services and pitched directly to a panel of senior stakeholders and decision makers from across Foodbuy Group and AWC.
For suppliers, the event provided a valuable opportunity to engage directly with decision makers and demonstrate both commercial capability and positive social and environmental impact,with the aim of getting their products on board Avanti West Coast trains. For AWC, it created a targeted and efficient route to engage with high-quality suppliers aligned to their values and their strategic food and drink direction.
The event played a key role in supporting Avanti West Coast’s mission to increase the number of socially and environmentally conscious suppliers within their supply chain. AWC operate more than 300 trains per day and serving an average of 100,000 customers daily, meaning the event represented an incredible opportunity for these suppliers who do good to expand their reach and in turn, enhance their impact.
This event marked the first time Pitch Social has been delivered collaboratively with a Foodbuy Group client, demonstrating how close partnership with us can help our clients to translate sustainability ambitions into practical, measurable action.
The Pitch Social event series is a core part of Foodbuy Group’s commitment to supporting suppliers that do good for people and planet, while helping clients deliver against their own sustainability objectives.
Since launching the Pitch Social series in 2022, Foodbuy Group has spent over £10.3 million with social enterprises, surpassing its original £5 million commitment. The series provides social enterprises, minority-owned businesses, B-Corps and SMEs with access to a multibillion-pound foodservice supply chain, either through supplier onboarding or structured three to six-month mentorship programmes.
The collaboration with Avanti West Coast represents an important evolution of Pitch Social, highlighting the power of partnership to unlock opportunity, drive meaningful social and environmental impact, and support clients in achieving their sustainability targets.
To find out more about our Pitch Social event series, see the full blog post here: foodbuy.co.uk/news/foodbuy-s-pitch-social-initiative-identifies-new-socially-conscious-sme-partners/
