The cookie project: Bake for a change

One in four Kiwi is disabled and only 22% of them are employed. This low number is a problem that The Cookie Project helps to solve.

The social enterprise, created in Auckland in June 2018 by co-founders Eric Chuah and Graeme Haddon, only employs disabled workers to make their delicious biscuits.

“Our cookies are useful,” says Eric. “All are handcrafted by a disabled person and 45% of what you pay when you buy a bag of cookies go directly to wages.

“A cookie is equivalent to one minute of use, so when you buy a bag of 15 cookies, that bag generates 15 minutes of use.”

The social enterprise began with a chance encounter between Eric and Graeme.

“I gave him some biscuits I had made,” says Graeme, “and he was like,” Wow, let’s do something with these cookies and create a job. ” And we are with The Cookie Project.

Creating job opportunities A study by the Blind Foundation in 2017 found that adding 14,000 people with disabilities to the labor force would add $ 3 billion to the New Zealand economy.

However, as Eric says, “People with disabilities who finish school at age 21 find it very difficult to find a job. That’s why the employment rate for people with disabilities is so low, at a shocking 22%.

“One reason is misperception. Many employers think that people with disabilities can not do a lot of work. In fact, they have some of the most vivid minds I have ever encountered.

Graeme’s experience with people with disabilities has inspired the company’s direction.

“Graeme is one of the most generous people in New Zealand,” says Eric. “He actually adopted four children, three of whom have a cocktail of mental disabilities.

“So we thought very hard about how we could use his skills to create a better future for his children.”

Almost a year after opening, their production list now has 23 employees and more than 40 people on the waiting list. Thus, the more orders are received, the more people will have the chance to work.

Creating the best cookies While Eric deals with business, Graeme has the seductive title of cookie chef and it’s his recipes that feed the business.

“Every time the kitchen is open, I’m here,” he says. “I design all the dough and run the kitchen.”

And they are incredibly proud of their product.

“We think our cookies are tastier because we use the best ingredients. We use Lewis Road Creamery butter, Pic’s peanut butter and Trade Aid organic chocolate.

“Our cookies have been touted as being very clean and in very good health. In all our cookies, we use only five ingredients and we have no preservatives, dyes or additives. ”

Plans for the future “2018 was about building foundations and learning as much as possible,” says Eric.

“Damn, we made a lot of mistakes along the way, but we also had a lot of fun.

“2019 is about national implementation, creating our online store and retail partners, and getting certified on the social procurement platform.

“Our goal for the second semester is to have our own kitchen and set up a national satellite kitchen presence, where we could give a disabled person in the area the opportunity to own a Cookie Project franchise.

“And next year we will have our eyes riveted on foreign markets.”

How to get cookies Whether it’s a bag for you or an important event you need, you can go to www.thecookieprojectnz.com to place your order.

The post The cookie project: Bake for a change appeared first on Zebra Mortgages.

from https://www.zebramortgages.co.nz/the-cookie-project-bake-for-a-change/

from
https://zebramortgages.tumblr.com/post/184444342113