Interserve : partnership with social en...

Interserve has partnered with Rise Bakery and their award-winning brownies are selling like hot cakes.

This growing partnership is helping Rise work with more trainees, supporting people to realise their potential and get back into employment.

Interserve first became involved with the social enterprise in 2016 after two colleagues volunteered with parent charity Providence Row, an organisation that tackles the root causes of homelessness to help people get off, and stay off, the streets.

Providence Row launched Rise in 2016 to create training opportunities for people to make delicious brownies from the company's Brick Lane kitchen.

After volunteering, Interserve's Jason Richards began working with Providence Row's Dom Gates to introduce their cooking into a portfolio of government buildings.

As a result of the initiative, Rise is now operating at capacity and has sold more than 4,000 brownies in six months. During this time the social enterprise has worked with 11 vulnerable people as well as earning much needed funds, which have been ploughed back into the charity.

Dom said: 'We are very excited about this partnership, not only about the amazing results so far, but also what we can achieve together in the future.

'Interserve has not only supported the bakery by distributing our products, but also by sharing their business expertise with us. This has been invaluable in helping us plan for the future.

'Ultimately we are here to help our service users, and the partnership with Interserve will help us train more people, in a way and at a pace that works for them.'

Interserve continues to commit time and resources to help Rise Bakery create a business plan to support future growth and to explore more ways to provide free learning and development advice to its clients through Interserve's Learning & Employment team.

Jason said: 'When I first saw the work being done by Rise Bakery, I was blown away. It is truly inspiring.

'Supporting the ambitions and potential of Rise links in with our own corporate social value objectives and helps us better engage with our own customers on the benefits of working with such a worthwhile enterprise.

'We are really looking forward to helping Rise Bakery further expand and create sustainable employment opportunities for the clients of Providence Row.'

Interserve has created a video to help Rise promote the excellent work that it undertakes. The short film can be watched by clicking this link.