Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

This website is operated by Truffle Forager Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 14267322).

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Truffle Forager Limited is the data controller responsible for your personal data.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please use our contact page.

2. What Data We Collect

The data we collect depends on how you interact with us. We operate a range of activities — including online content and free resources, paid courses and memberships, in-person events, workshops, retreats, truffle hunting experiences, and consulting — and different activities involve different types of data.

Mailing list and free resources

When you sign up to receive a free resource (such as the Beginner's Playbook) or join our mailing list:

• First name
• Email address

Event, workshop, and retreat bookings

When you book a place on any Truffle Forager event, workshop, retreat, or experience (including the UK Truffle Festival and UK Truffle Dog Championships), we may collect:

• Full name
• Email address and phone number
• Postal address — for invoicing or correspondence
• Dietary requirements and food allergies — where catering is involved
• Relevant health or accessibility information — only where necessary for your safety or participation in outdoor activities
• Emergency contact details — name and phone number of someone we can contact on your behalf
• Information about your dog — name, breed, age, and relevant training history, where participation involves your dog
• Payment information — processed securely by our payment provider; we do not store full card details ourselves

Consulting and business enquiries

If you enquire about or engage our consulting services, we may collect your name, email address, phone number, business name, and information relevant to your enquiry.

General contact

If you contact us via our contact form or by any other means, we collect the information you provide in that communication.

Data collected automatically

• Usage data — standard server logs including IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time of visit. Used only for site security and performance monitoring.
• Cookies — see Section 8 below.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To deliver what you've requested — sending free resources, fulfilling bookings, running events, providing courses or memberships.
• To communicate with you — confirmations, booking details, event updates, and relevant pre- or post-event correspondence.
• To send marketing communications — our newsletter, truffle dog training content, event announcements, and occasional offers (only where you have consented, or where we have a legitimate interest as an existing customer).
• To manage our events safely — using dietary, health, and emergency contact information to ensure your wellbeing at in-person activities.
• To process payments — in conjunction with our payment processing provider.
• To improve our website and services — using anonymised usage data.
• To comply with legal obligations — such as keeping records for tax or accounting purposes.

We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on different lawful bases depending on the purpose:

• Consent — for marketing emails and newsletters. You give this consent when you submit an opt-in form and confirm via the double opt-in email. You may withdraw consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email.
• Contract — when you book an event, purchase a course, or engage our services, we process your data as necessary to fulfil that contract.
• Legitimate interests — for example, contacting existing customers about similar products or services, or using anonymised analytics to improve the site. We always balance this against your rights.
• Legal obligation — where we are required to retain records for tax, accounting, or regulatory compliance.

5. How Long We Keep Your Data

Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose for which it was collected:

• Mailing list subscribers — retained for as long as you remain subscribed. If you unsubscribe, your details will be removed from active marketing lists within 30 days.
• Event and booking records — retained for up to 7 years after the event date, as required for financial and accounting records under UK law.
• Health and dietary information — retained only for as long as necessary to deliver the event, then deleted.
• General enquiries — retained for up to 2 years, or until the matter is resolved.

Anonymised or aggregated data (such as email open rates or website analytics) may be retained indefinitely for analytical purposes, as it cannot be used to identify you.

6. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. We share your data only with the following categories of service provider, who process it strictly on our behalf:

• High Level — our CRM and marketing platform, used to manage contacts, send emails, and run automations. Your name and email address (and any other details you've provided) are stored within this system.
• Payment processors — to securely handle transactions when you purchase a product, course, or event ticket. We do not store your full card details.
• Event and booking platforms — where we use third-party ticketing or booking tools to manage event registrations.
• Website hosting and infrastructure providers — who host and maintain the technical systems that run this website.

All third-party processors are contractually required to protect your data and may only use it for the purposes we specify. Where processors are based outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in line with UK GDPR requirements.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right of access — you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — you can ask us to correct any inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure — you can request that we delete your personal data.
• Right to restrict processing — you can ask us to limit how we use your data.
• Right to data portability — you can request your data in a machine-readable format.
• Right to withdraw consent — you can withdraw your marketing consent at any time.
• Right to complain — you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe we have mishandled your data. ico.org.uk →

To exercise any of these rights, please use our contact page. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Cookies

This website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — for the following purposes:

• Essential cookies — required for the site to function (e.g. WordPress session cookies). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies — if we use a tool such as Google Analytics, these help us understand how visitors use the site. No personally identifiable information is collected via analytics.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some parts of this site.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. Our website is served over HTTPS (encrypted connection). Our email marketing platform uses industry-standard security measures.

No method of internet transmission is 100% secure. If you have concerns about the security of your data, please get in touch.

10. Links to Other Sites

This site may contain links to third-party websites (e.g. YouTube, Spotify, Substack). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and recommend you read their privacy policies before sharing any personal data with them.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with their data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent revision. Significant changes will be communicated to subscribers by email where appropriate.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please use our contact page. We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 working days.

Truffle Forager Limited — registered in England and Wales (company number 14267322).