October 2016
The popularity of Loaf has been recognised as it received a commendation in the Community Food Award category in the Irish Food Writers Guild Community Food Awards. The awards celebrate and recognise social responsibility in the food sector in Ireland and organisations were shortlisted for their community oriented work in areas as food education, conservation, sustainability or for their charity or other community programmes.
This what the Irish Food Writers Guild had to say about Loaf Catering:
"Loaf Catering is a corporate catering business and social enterprise delivering fresh food to homes and businesses in the greater Belfast area. Using local suppliers whenever possible, Loaf Catering is also an accredited training site, providing training and work experience placements for catering trainees with learning difficulties or autism. All profits go to the NOW Group to help support people with barriers to learning and employment join the workforce. Loaf wants communities to be more connected with what they buy and eat and for every £1 invested in loaf, £8 is returned in social value. The judges were impressed with the strong, independent feedback they received about Loaf and felt it represented a model social enterprise that others could (and should) follow."
Aoife Carrigy, chairperson of the IFWG said, “These awards are very special as they recognise the broader significance of food within our communities and society: as a source of nourishment and enjoyment, and as a connector between people, but also as a birthright of citizens in terms of the need for equal access to good food produced in a sustainable manner.
“We have a shared responsibility to protect the future of our food. These Community Food Awards celebrate projects we believe have made positive impacts, with an emphasis on inclusivity and a commitment to people and passion before profit. The awards aim to highlight some of the excellent work being done on both large and small scales within our communities, and to say thank you to those who carry out this often thankless work.
CEO of NOW Group Maeve Monaghan commented: “At Loaf we are passionate about good food and using local produce as much as possible. We were delighted to get involved in Belfast Restaurant Week as it is a great opportunity to celebrate all the good food that is available on our doorsteps.
As well as the Café & Bakery, Loaf also run an outside catering business that delivers fresh food to homes and businesses in the Greater Belfast area. Loaf Café and Bakery is situated at 307 Grosvenor Road, Belfast, and is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm. For more information on Loaf visit www.loafcatering.com, follow them on Twitter at @LovelyLoaf or like the Facebook page Loaf Catering and Cafes.
Loaf Catering is a social enterprise delivering outside catering across Belfast.