Waitrose Duchy Organic reaches £30m charitable milestone

Record sales and a new look for UK’s largest organic supermarket brand - Waitrose has revealed its organic range, Waitrose Duchy Organic,  has generated over £30m for The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund, since the brand was licensed exclusively to Waitrose just over a decade ago.

Sales from the Waitrose Duchy Organic range provide an annual donation to The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF), with the latest annual donation of £3.6m bringing the total amount raised to over £30m. The PWCF supports charitable causes across the UK including The Prince’s Countryside Fund, which works to secure a brighter future for those who live and work in the British countryside.

The news comes after a record year of sales, and double-digit growth, for Waitrose Duchy Organic which has grown to become the UK’s largest organic supermarket brand. This week Waitrose will also reveal a contemporary new look for the range which highlights the good food, good farming and good causes values for which the brand is known.

James Bailey, Executive Director, Waitrose said: ‘To reach this milestone amount raised for good causes is a reflection of the success of the Waitrose Duchy Organic range at Waitrose. We are proud to be custodians of this brand and, after a year of record sales, look forward to further success and support for The Prince of Wales’s many charitable causes in the future.’

Paula Wilson, Interim CEO & The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund Finance Director said: ‘We are incredibly grateful for the support the Waitrose Duchy Organic range provides to us. We are keen that our grants make a difference to peoples lives. Our work at The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund is inspired by His Royal Highness and helps to support wide-ranging causes across the UK helping to create sustainable communities. Over the last five years, more than 700 organisations have been supported by PWCF.’

Waitrose Duchy Organic was originally founded as Duchy Originals by HRH The Prince of Wales to champion organic farming.The range was brought exclusively to Waitrose just over 10 years ago following a unique licensing agreement which gave Waitrose the exclusive rights to the range. The range has now grown to offer over 300 food and drink products. Not only popular in the UK, it is also exported to over 30 countries worldwide.

Available images and examples of charities supported by the PWCF in recent years :

STREETWISE OPERA

Performing arts workshops for those who have experience of, or are at risk of, homelessness.

Streetwise Opera performs at Middlesbrough Town Hall as part of its Opera Hour series in March 2019. Credit: Rey Trombetta)

Denise Allison, a participant in Streetwise Opera’s singing and creative workshops at The Passage homeless centre in London, said: “Support for Streetwise Opera has allowed dreams I never dared to have to come true. We’ve performed everywhere from Buckingham Palace to the Royal Opera House. For someone who’s experienced homelessness it is mind-blowing to be welcomed in those venues as an artist who has something beautiful to give to the world.

Susie Gorgeous, Executive Director of Streetwise Opera, said: “Support from The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund has helped us continue to inspire and empower people recovering from homelessness. Our workshops, performances and productions not only give Streetwise performers an opportunity to express themselves, but also challenge perceptions of what people who are homeless can achieve.

BUMBLEBEE CONSERVATION TRUST aims to increase the number and distribution of bumblebees, by practical conservation and science work, conserving and creating habitat through land management advice and public engagement.

Gill Perkins, CEO, Bumblebee Conservation Trust said “Bumblebees do an amazing job pollinating our crops and wildflowers. The fantastic support we’ve received from The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund has made a huge difference to the way we work with farmers and landowners in the Fowey Valley, Cornwall, helping to create more habitat for bumblebees, and learning lessons applicable to food production across the country. Working together we can secure the future for these iconic, engaging, fluffy, buzzy, amiable creatures, which play a vital role in our food security.”

THE HINGE CENTRE

Based on the Havenfield Estate in Bridlington, the charity supports those experiencing social and financial deprivation. The charity provides support, guidance, services and opportunities to the community.

PWCF funded the Hinge Centre’s After School matters programme last year. The programme provides after school and holiday sessions to some of the most vulnerable and deprived children in the local area. Sessions include crafts, games, baking/cooking and healthy eating. The After School matters programme empowered 50 children, increased their confidence, reduced social exclusion and improved behaviour.

Quote: “ The funding we received from The Prince of Wales Charitable Fund is greatly appreciated and we look forward to offering a number of trips and activities for young children. The trips and activities will offer deprived children in the local community of Bridlington new opportunities & experiences, allowing them to create new memories and friendships.”