Food Plymouth Community Interest Company (CIC)
To manage the gradual transition to independence following the Soil Association direct support package which served Food Plymouth’s multi-sector Partnership and Network so well in the early years, Food Plymouth Community Interest Company (CIC) was formed in 2014 and became operational in early 2015. The CIC serves as Food Plymouth’s ‘backbone’ or infrastructure organisation, resourcing, servicing and supporting the Partnership and Network.
Food Plymouth CIC is run on a social enterprise basis, namely as a business trading for people and planet, with a ‘triple bottom line’ focusing on economic, social and environmental returns. This is in keeping with Plymouth’s pioneering Social Enterprise City status and Plymouth’s Co-operative Council values and principles. It also aligns with several of Food Plymouth’s key partners from the social enterprise sector, including: CATERed (the former Plymouth City Council School Meals service, now a municipal cooperative social enterprise); Livewell Southwest (Plymouth’s former public sector NHS Public Health and Social Care delivery organisation); Tamar Grow Local and Sole of Discretion.
Food Plymouth’s multi-sector Partnership and Network is thus enabled by a social enterprise infrastructure body.
Food Plymouth is an energetic contributor to Plymouth Social Enterprise Network (PSEN)
Reporting and Governance
In additional to filing its mandatory annual CIC 34 report with Companies House, Food Plymouth CIC (company number 09253210) reports on its activities at the quarterly Food Plymouth Partnership and Network meetings. It also presents a summary of these and provides a forward view in its annual review in March of each year.