HAVE is proud to be the employment and production partner in a social enterprise called Goodly Foods. Goodly, led by the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB) and Fulmer Capital Partners, aims to reduce food waste by using surplus produce to make nutritious food, including soups, stews, and sauces. The food is distributed to Food Bank members as well as sold to buyers, and the production process provides job training and employment opportunities to individuals who experience barriers to employment.
1000 litres of Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup creates more than 100 supported living wage hours and uses over 1000 kg of surplus produce.
In 2018, Goodly approached HAVE to manage the production process and make the first Goodly product, the Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup, a recipe by local celebrity Chef Karen Barnaby.
HAVE's Executive Director, Chef Amber Anderson, hired five full-time employees to work at the newly built Commissary Connect on Laurel Street in Vancouver. Each employee was offered:
Training on how to operate industrial steam kettles and other large equipment
A livable wage
A supportive work environment
In March 2019, Goodly officially launched. As Goodly continues to grow and make more products, HAVE will increase the number of job opportunities and hire more employees from the community. In other words, more surplus produce will be saved, more job training and work opportunities will be created for people who experience barriers to employment, and more food will be distributed to Food Bank members. HAVE could not be more excited to be a part of this collaborative effort that is not only reducing the carbon footprint of surplus produce, but also working towards a more supportive and healthier community.
To learn more about Goodly Foods, visit their website at hellogoodly.ca.