Food for Good: the journey so far
Food for Good began when ten intrepid UK food industry leaders climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Farm Africa. Their challenge proved to be an inspiration and united the food and hospitality industry behind this important cause - to help fight poverty in eastern Africa.
Others were inspired to follow and now hundreds of people across the industry have got behind the campaign that is going from strength to strength!
Here’s the Food for Good journey so far:
2011
Industry leaders tackle Kilimanjaro
In September 2011, an impressive group of food industry leaders led by Richard Macdonald and Charles Reed conquer Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain. The group kicks off Food for Good by raising a massive £250,000. Before the climb they are inspired by a visit to one of Farm Africa’s projects in nearby Babati where the charity is supporting 4,500 sesame farmers to achieve yield increases of 75% and a life-changing 180% increase in their income.
See how they smashed their fundraising target! >2012
Ashley Palmer Watts meets fish farmer Joyce
Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts, Head Chef at 2 Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, worked for a week alongside fish farmer Joyce at Farm Africa’s Aqua Shops project in western Kenya to learn about the challenges she faces each day making a living
Industry leaders' Mount Toubkal climb raises £25,000
In October, teams from ABP Food Group, SABMiller, Sainsbury's and Moy Park climbed the highest mountain in North Africa, Mount Toubkal, and raised over £25,000
Find out how they made it to the top >2013
2013 sees even more businesses pledge their support for Food for Good including The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List who appoint Farm Africa as their official charity partner, Barfoots of Botley host a Summer Ball and staff at Cosine organise a huge range of fundraising activities.
Dig for Good
Can you imagine digging a swimming pool by hand?
In May 2013, a group of women industry leaders worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the members of the Afula Women's Group at one of Farm Africa's projects in Kisumu, Kenya, hand-digging a swimming pool-sized fish pond in just three days!
Find out how they got on >Chefs With Altitude
Led by Michelin-starred Ashley Palmer-Watts, a team of chefs undertook the gruelling eight day climb in August 2013 to the roof of Africa - 5,895m above sea level, raising a further £50,000 towards the campaign
Find out how they made it to the top >Tanzania Highland Challenge
In September 2013, Richard Macdonald and Charles Reed corralled a second group of food industry leaders to take on a unique challenge and a true test of endurance, trekking 145km over six days on uncharted paths through the Great Rift Valley in the Tanzania Highlands. Funds raised by the team brought the 2013 Food for Good total to £500,000!
Find out more about the trek >2014
Food for Good Ball
Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton’s designed a one-off menu at the first ever Gala Ball which brought together over 200 Food for Good supporters at London’s V&A Museum to raise over £140,000.
Find out more >£1,000,000 raised!
In November 2014 we announce that the campaign reaches a phenomenal £1million, helping 15,000 people to grow themselves and their families out of hunger.
2015
The Big Beehive Build
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3 days, 9 women and 90 beehives to build. At Farm Africa, we call that a challenge!
In June 2015, Judith Batchelar led a group of senior women from the UK food industry to Tanzania to complete the 2015 ‘The Big Beehive Build’ challenge. Working alongside the Erri community in Tanzania the group built an apiary of Langstroth beehives to kick-start profitable and sustainable honey farming businesses for the Erri beekeeping group.
Find out how they tackled the challenge >The Bale Mountains Challenge
In November 2015, a group of senior members of the food industry set off on a 117km trek, hiking across valleys and scaling mountains - including the second highest peak in Ethiopia, Tullu Demtu.
Not only did the team successfully summit four peaks, they smashed their fundraising target, raising a huge £140,000 to help farmers like those they met to escape cycles of poverty and hunger.
Read their blog >2016
The Farm Africa Gala 2016
On 21 April 2016, Farm Africa hosted its second gala ball at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. With three Michelin-starred chefs designing an exclusive menu for over two hundred guests, we raised over £135,000 to help farming families in eastern Africa fight poverty and hunger.
Click the link below for photos and a glimpse of the menu...
Read more >