Partnering with social enterprise leads to brownie points!

Rich. Moist. Delicious. All the adjectives I’ve heard come out of Prue Leith are flooding through my mind as I take my first bite of the brownie I’ve been handed whilst taking my seat for our International Women’s Day Open Conversations special.

‘Blimey – where did we get these from? They’re unreal!’ I hear exclaimed from the other side of the room. Whilst the taste may be sublime, the answer to that question is actually the best thing about these baked goods.

Every month we host an Open Conversations Forum, in which we discuss a timely issue related to ED&I in a calm and relaxed atmosphere. As it was International Women’s Day, we decided to hook our conversation on some of the best (and the worst!) IWD campaigns we had seen over the years.

Given the theme, instead of just going to the local Co-Op to collect some snacks for the occasion, we had instead placed an order with The Luminary Bakery – a social enterprise providing training, employment and community to some of the most disadvantaged women in London.

The women they work with have experienced multiple disadvantages, including gender-based violence (domestic abuse, prostitution, sexual exploitation, trafficking and honour-based violence). They offer a safe space to train, trauma-informed support as they overcome barriers from lack of opportunity, preparation for employment, and guidance in building towards a positive future.

Not just a delicious brownie then.

Across 2023, they supported 105 women – 64 of which were mothers – with a combined 4095 hours of one-to-one support. They were instrumental in the award of 27 Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering Level 2 certificates, helping provide the tools required to get these women back into work.

As we chomped down on the delectable sweet treats in front of us, Account Director Sophie Bassil talked us through a variety of campaigns targeted towards women and helped us understand the key factors to consider when putting together a campaign of our own to ensure they hit the mark. Luminary brownies, matched by luminary discussion.

We all love a sweet treat as a pick-me-up, but knowing the money spent is going to a good cause rather than the coffers of a large corporate makes it even more satisfying. If you’re looking for baked goods catering, we can’t recommend Luminary Bakery enough.