September's social enterprise of the month

​Refettorio Gastromotiva is our September social enterprise of the month.

​​This month we are shamelessly hitching our wagon to a social enterprise linked in its own way to the massive success and celebration that was Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games – we just don’t want the Rio party to end!

Who are they
Refettorio Gastromotiva was brought to Brazil by chefs Massimo Bottura (Food for Soul), David Hertz (Gastromotiva) and by the journalist Ale Forbes to contribute to fighting food waste, malnutrition and social exclusion.

Where are they?
Refettorio Gastromotiva is based in space provided by Rio de Janeiro's City Hall.

What do they do?

1. They prepare healthy, seasonal and delicious meals for paying customers at lunch times, which then enables them to make free evening meals for vulnerable individuals living in Lapa, Rio de Janeiro
2. They cook using surplus ingredients, that are still good for consumption, and that would otherwise have been discarded
3. Their staff are young ‘gastronomic talents’ from underprivileged communities in Rio de Janeiro, who graduate from one of the Gastromotiva programs
4. They also run as a hub for social gastronomy, offering lectures and workshops to encourage healthy and sustainable habits
5. All this is done surrounded by art and furniture specifically curated and designed for the project.

Why do we like them?
A third of all food produced – 1.3bn tonnes – is wasted every year, while 795 million people do not have enough to eat. This imbalance is just unacceptable.
Refettorio Gastromotiva are fighting poverty, hunger, social exclusion and food waste in a beautiful multi-pronged attack. Food, art and social good coming together to make a real difference to lives in a variety of ways.
Launched during the Olympic Games (when they used surplus food from the Olympic Village), it has also become part of the Olympic legacy for the city.
Simple. Effective. Beautiful.

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