Distributing good food to partner organizations and schools every week.
SEED Wholesale is A social enterprise that distributes purchased wholesale and rescued surplus food to community organizations like food banks, schools, housing providers, and food pantries. our aim is to offer the lowest cost, highest quality food possible.
We created SEED Wholesale because too many community organizations are struggling to access enough healthy food to meet growing demand. Food prices are rising, budgets are stretched thin, and traditional suppliers often don’t meet the unique needs of nonprofit programs. At the same time, large volumes of surplus food are being discarded every day.
SEED Wholesale bridges that gap.
By sourcing high-quality wholesale food at scale and rescuing surplus from local suppliers, we’re able to offer deeply discounted or free food to the organizations doing the frontline work of feeding our community. It’s a model grounded in dignity, sustainability, and collaboration — making sure that fresh, nutritious food gets to where it’s needed most, without unnecessary barriers or waste.
This enterprise is a practical response to a broken food system — one that supports equity, reduces waste, and strengthens the collective capacity of our community to nourish one another.
HOW IT WORKS
Ordering:
Partner organizations place orders through our Wholesale Shop (www.seedwholesale.ca)
Choose from a mix of wholesale items and available surplus food
Surplus food is offered free of charge; wholesale items are priced below market rates.
Delivery & Pickup:
Flexible delivery options with communication in case of delays.
Orders sorted and quality-checked by trained volunteers.
WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED
Between 2022 and 2024, SEED Wholesale more than tripled the value of surplus food redistributed — from $700,000 to over $2.2 million. This growth has allowed us to provide high-quality, rescued food to more than 45 community partners, helping meet rising needs across Guelph-Wellington with dignity and efficiency.
We could not do this without the invaluable support of many volunteers who help sort and catalogue the donated food each week!
For more on this growth check out our blog post here: https://theseedguelph.ca/from-1-2m-to-2-2m-in-donated-food-how-strategic-investments-are-fueling-greater-food-access/
The dramatic growth in SEED Wholesale’s surplus food distribution — from $700,000 in 2022 to over $2.2 million in 2024 — was made possible in large part thanks to the support of United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin. Their investment helped fund the purchase of a 26-foot refrigerated truck, which expanded our delivery capacity and unlocked new opportunities to rescue and redistribute greater volumes of high-quality food.
To read more about our ongoing United Way project where we are funded as part of a collaborative to bring more food to supportive housing, check out our May 2025 evaluation report completed by Taylor Newberry Consulting here.
TO LEARN MORE AND GET INVOLVED
Kari Badgerow
Wholesale Services Coordinator
As the Wholesale Services Coordinator, Kari ensures community partners have a smooth, supportive experience ordering affordable food through SEED Wholesale — from managing customer communications and product listings to coordinating deliveries and partner relationships. Her work keeps the system running efficiently so more good food gets to where it’s needed most.