Loaf Catering and Cafes would like to invite all growers of fresh produce in Belfast and the surrounding area to a special ‘Meet The Growers’ event at Loaf Café & Bakery later this month.
A thriving social enterprise comprising of two city-based cafes and a corporate catering business, Loaf Catering and Cafes provides training and work experience for people with barriers to learning and employment.
Loaf Cafe & Bakery is a two storey eatery located directly opposite the Royal Victoria Hospital on Belfast’s Grosvenor Road. The café offers high quality homemade food, a tempting array of sweet treats and great coffee to the hungry workers who stop by. Loaf’s second café, The Bobbin at Belfast City Hall, is currently closed for renovations. A bustling spot, popular with tourists and locals alike, it is scheduled to re-open later this Spring. The outside catering division of Loaf makes deliveries right across Belfast, providing delicious platters of fresh food to homes and businesses alike. Profits go back into Loaf’s parent organisation NOW Group, a social enterprise supporting people with learning difficulties and autism into jobs with a future.
To further embed the philosophy of social inclusion into their work, Loaf has teamed up with The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens to establish partnerships with growers in Belfast and surrounding areas. The social enterprise is seeking suppliers of high quality, fresh, local produce they can do business with.
Cathy Moore, Social Enterprise Manager, said: “At Loaf, we fully recognise the importance and value of involving the local community in our social enterprise. We want our customers to eat the freshest of produce grown locally in allotments and gardens throughout our city.
“One recent collaboration saw fresh fruit and vegetables grown in a community garden a few yards away on the Grosvenor Road delivered to the kitchen of Loaf Café&Bakery. A few hours later, the produce was featured on our lunchtime menu in the form of Community Garden soup, fresh salads and fruit tarts.
“We’ve also collaborated with the Colin Glen Allotments and St Oliver Plunkett Primary School, west Belfast. Each time we collaborate with a new group, we make new connections in the city and are spreading the word about community partnership and the important work of social enterprises.”
Cathy added: “Please come along to our event – we love meeting new people and telling them the story of Loaf!”
The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens is looking to support community growing partners and will provide training to ensure that your community garden or allotment is able to establish and maintain all the working systems required.
The first phase of this exciting initiative is to invite you to a 'Meet the Growers' event at Loaf Café and Bakery, Grosvenor Road, Belfast on Tuesday, 28 February from 2.30 - 4pm. Bring along jams, chutneys or any produce from your garden to inspire the Loaf team with ideas of what you can offer and also to find out more about their requirements.
To find out more, please contact sinead@farmgarden.org.uk or susan@farmgarden.org.uk
*Watch our behind the scenes at Loaf Café & Bakery video at www.loafcatering.com