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© Made In Hackney
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© Made In Hackney
The Eden Project
If you want to run a food project that is not focused specifically on cooking, the Eden Project’s website is a great resource that outlines all the other possible ways to work with food in the community, from foraging to veg box schemes and food swaps.
ACTION
Create a list of organisations, local services and individuals that might be able to help your project. Look up their contact details by searching online, and try to find a named contact. This list will be the start of your overall contacts database so make sure you dedicate time to this – it will pay off in the long run!
If you don’t know where to start, have a look at local government/council websites for information. Start with one conversation and ask for advice about other projects/organisations.
Track your contact in a spreadsheet and any responses you have. Capturing this information from day one will be very useful going forward.
ACTION
Perhaps put on a dinner or small event to gather people and discuss ideas. This will let you tap into the community, build a network and come up with something that is really relevant to the local needs. Or you could run a trial class or series of classes before you formally start.
Use any information gathered at these events to further develop your business plan.
How it started
Made In Hackney was the first vegan community cookery school in the UK. There was no other school to directly learn from and there was often scepticism about what we were doing and how we would engage people.
We were committed to being plant-based, however we didn’t lead with that when promoting our community services. Instead, the message was about being healthy, making local food and getting as many plants on plates as possible.
The mission was not to convert people to veganism (although that is obviously amazing) – a win was any reduction in consuming animals and getting more plants on plates. It is worthwhile setting expectations from the start about what you want to deliver and what people want and need.
