Skip to content

Charity launch sauce brand for sustainable income

BBC Stacked jars of social source on a wooden counter in Roots cafe. The branding is fairly simple and organic looking, and inside there are various types of chutney. In the background you can see a coffee machine and the bottom of a Christmas elf decoration. BBC
The profits generated from the sale of the produce creates a sustainable source of income for both charities

A charity offering cooking classes to vulnerable people has partnered with a gardening group to provide locally-grown sustainable produce.

The Wiggly Charity in Gloucestershire aim to empower disadvantaged and disabled people by building life skills, tackling social isolation, and improving self-esteem.

To help fund their cookery courses, they have launched a chutney and preserves brand called 'Social Source', using seasonal ingredients harvested by local volunteers at Project Grow.

Wiggly manager Claire Foot says the joint enterprise allows participants to learn new skills and witness food production "from farm to fork".

Claire Foote standing in the Roots cafe in front of a wooden dresser full of jars. She is wearing a cream high-neck jumper, a heart shaped pendant necklace, and an orange scarf. She has blonde chin-length hair and is smiling at the camera. On her left is a Perspex display case with the jars of chutney stacked on top.
Ms Foote said the profits will allow Wiggly to offer more cookery classes to benefit the most vulnerable in the community

At the start of this year, Wiggly teamed up with Project Grow to begin growing and harvesting vegetables at the Heritage Hub community gardens for use in their kitchen.

As the project flourished, they soon realised its potential to deliver social impact, by creating a sustainable brand whose profit benefited both community projects.

"It's just been an absolute game-changer for us," said Ms Foote.

"We've been able to give people volunteering opportunities that are full circle. So people can volunteer at the gardens and then come and cook with Wiggly, to see the whole process from farm to fork.

"Everything is absolutely as local and as fresh as it can be," she added.

The inside of Roots cafe. The wall is covered with refill containers of nuts, beans, seeds and cereals. The is a white shelving unit in the middle with metal tins of flour and other dry ingredients, and on the right there is a blue dresser with stacks of egg cartons.
The Roots Cafe is a social enterprise which operates on an ethical, zero-waste basis

Rosie Hart is co-manager at Roots Gloucester, a cafe and sustainable refill centre who now stock the Social Source chutneys.

"We at Roots really feel it's important to provide a platform for people to reach their customers," she said.

"We've helped them, they've helped us. It's a real part of our core ethos to support our neighbours."

Ms Hart says the products are extremely popular, and believes it is due to a developing awareness of the life cycle of food.

"People don't necessarily want to go to a supermarket and buy something packaged anymore, they want to know the story behind what's going into their bodies," she said.

Rosie Hart standing behind the wooden counter at the Roots cafe. She is wearing a blue patterned top with Christmas baubles on it, and an orange and yellow oriental patterned scarf. She has shoulder length dark curly hair and is wearing large glasses. Beside her is a coffee machine and the Perspex display case showing the jars of chutney for sale. There is also an acoustic guitar hung up on the wall to the right.
Ms Hart says it's part of their "core ethos" to support local businesses

Project Grow will be increasing their growing spaces by three times the size over the coming year, which means an expansion for food production and in turn, more Wiggly workshops.

"It's a huge challenge obviously, juggling that alongside our core offering of cookery courses, but it's really exciting," Ms Foote added.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

More on this story
Related Internet Links