SUSTAINABILITY AND CSR
Until not too long ago , charity initiatives in the food and drink industry were , for the most part , the preserve of mega-sized companies . Or , in essence , the firms that could afford it . Think Pret A Manger , with its nightly unsold food drop-offs to homeless shelters . The Ben & Jerry ’ s Foundation , which dates as far back as 1985 and contributes 7.5 % of pre-tax profits to myriad philanthropic causes . Or , more recently , BrewDog ’ s ‘ Unicorn Fund ’, which vows to split 20 % of the brand ’ s profits between its team members and their chosen charities , forever . There are countless more – each one as inspirational as it is altruistic – although sparing a few pounds is admittedly far simpler when your profits are in the hundreds of millions .
However , in recent years there has been a notable shift . In an industry where capitalism is – or at least was – king , food and drink brands are now behaving like social enterprises . Non-profits , even . Community or cause-driven campaigns are all the rage , stemming from organisations sized tiny and gargantuan . A meshing of CSR and straight-up philanthropy , such schemes go far beyond mere donations to an affiliated charity . These initiatives are more often focused on empowerment and sustainability , with a lasting social good at their core .
In the UK , for example , rather than pledge a small amount to The Passage , Bristol-based Extract Coffee Roasters has instead partnered with the homeless charity ( and The Goring Hotel ) to provide free barista training to homeless and vulnerable adults in London , as part of ‘ Hotel School ’.
" COMMUNITY IS ONE OF OUR KEY VALUES – ON A DAILY BASIS WE SEE THE POWER OF COFFEE IN CONNECTING PEOPLE ”
GEMMA SCREEN , MARKETING MANAGER ,
EXTRACT COFFEE ROASTERS
64 June 2018