Community Food Enterprise (CFE) is an overarching term used to describe locally-owned food businesses or ventures that are founded around a desire to create positive outcomes for the communities they serve. This may be in the form of improved social or environmental outcomes, increased access to healthy food and support of local producers by providing fair farm gate prices.

A CFE can be set-up under a number of legal structures, whether it be not-for-profit or for-profit.

A good overarching explainer produced for the UK context but of broader relevance is “Scaling up community food”.  

Examples include: Farmers’ Markets; Community-owned Shops; Community Markets; Food Co-operatives; Community Supported Agriculture; Buying Groups; Food Hubs.

The Community Food Enterprises in Victoria directory shows the great diversity of CFE’s in Victoria.