Ten years ago, Birmingham-based pastry chef Rosie Ginday decided to put her Michelin star-level training to use for something more than just baking. Having seen a close family member in care, she was spurred to “provide opportunities to young people in a similar situation, to build their skills and confidence and just help them to get back into work”.
Her social enterprise, Miss Macaroon, makes gourmet macaroons, specialist hampers and premium gift boxes for the retail and corporate market. Its MacsMAD (Macaroons that Make A Difference) training courses enable long-term unemployed young people aged 18 to 35 to address their personal barriers to employment, giving them greater independence. The 10-week courses are designed to inspire and motivate trainees, with mentoring support throughout the courses and beyond. The trainees leave with a five-year plan, an up-to-date CV, extensive interview practice, industry contacts and guidance on how to apply for jobs.
Trainees spend five weeks in Miss Macaroon’s training kitchen, learning the skills to enter a professional workplace, before graduating to its production kitchen, where they learn alongside professional chefs. Support comes from the programme leader, a work buddy, psychotherapist and counsellor, as well as a mentor for six months after each course ends.
Strategic expertise
The enterprise caught the attention of Satvir Bungar MBE, corporate finance managing director and head of facilities sector M&A at BDO. “The shop is based across the road from our Birmingham office,” he says. He responded to Ginday’s request for additional help on the board. “With my 20 years of experience in M&A, working primarily with successful entrepreneurs and corporates, delivering all sorts of strategic advice, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to recycle some of that experience. Many of these aspects are things that wouldn’t ordinarily be accessible to any kind of charitable operation. I felt I could bring a lot of value and sector intelligence, and make connections to build profile.”
Pre-pastry, Ginday’s background was in fine art. She has used these skills to create “premium and beautiful” products. “I wanted something complicated enough to keep me interested, but also simple enough that young people could walk right in and be able to work with the product,” she says. Her knowledge of colour theory means Miss Macaroon is the only patisserie in the world that can Pantone-match its delicacies, offering branded gifts to corporates in their own colours.
However, the enterprise’s strength in the corporate market meant that when the pandemic hit the UK in March 2020, there was turbulence. Offices shut and meetings switched online, denying Miss Macaroon a large slice of its market. The Birmingham shop was also forced to close.
“We took the opportunity to accelerate plans to rebrand the whole business model,” explains Bungar, “refreshing the websites, designing new packaging, and upgrading the shop.
“Online has been a saviour in a very tough market,” he adds. A surge in orders for Christmas hampers added revenue to the physical shop. Miss Macaroon used the furlough scheme and bounce-back loans, which helped with fixed costs, but they both felt it was vital to keep their training programme live.
“The pandemic presented other personal issues for a number of members,” Bungar says, “so Rosie and the team stepped in. It was a testing time for everyone to ensure they were providing the necessary support.”
Community impact
Miss Macaroon’s training programme has a maximum of 16 people at any one time. Ginday describes her cohorts as “already talented people who just might not have had the sort of opportunities you or I have had. They bring a lot of positive experiences and understanding of different types of communities to strengthen the team. Also, it’s really important for them to know the impact they’re having. When a trainee is turning their life around it makes a big difference to all of us.”
After completing the training programme, many of its graduates find jobs elsewhere in the industry, with Miss Macaroon providing extra support for “those who might need it – those recovering from drugs or alcohol issues or the long-term unemployed”.
The social mission is close to Bungar’s heart. He has worked with a number of charitable bodies in the West Midlands and nationally to improve corporate governance disciplines and prepare for funding. Miss Macaroon gave him the opportunity to “help with something more permanent, in an ongoing role”. He has recently been promoted to the role of chairman, and has supported the board in strengthening corporate governance reporting. “I’m pleased to see the controls and management reporting in place well above what you expect from a business of this size. It’s customers’ money that we’re recycling, supporting a serious backstory, so being accountable is one of the major areas where I felt I could bring additional value.”
The role is quite varied, he says. “You get involved in a lot of situations, having to make decisions on live issues quickly. I’ve learnt a lot about how a charitable organisation goes about delivering its proposition, but it’s also refreshing to see how some of my skills and experiences and contacts have helped to support Rosie and the board.” And his preferred macaroon? “Cherry and dark chocolate. All the innovative flavours they have, but that’s still my favourite.”
Miss Macaroon’s vital ingredients
Satvir Bungar: “We do say every person who buys a macaroon from us is a ‘social change hero’, because every pound that they spend on a macaroon is reinvested into the operation. For me, it’s about some of the softer KPIs. We measure our performance against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We measure impact through the percentage of people in work on the back of the scheme, and the percentage of people who develop practical and theoretical skills during our programmes.
“Essentially, the proposition is all about focus on the underrepresented, the marginalised and the long-term unemployed. If we can make some profits at the end of the day by selling gourmet macaroons, that’s great, but all we’re doing is reinvesting that money, with the overriding focus of paying for the training. Success, to me, is about getting those individuals through this comprehensive training programme and into the world of work.”
About the article
This is extracted from the Corporate Financier March 2021 edition - exclusively for Corporate Finance Faculty & Faculties Online members - who can access our highly regarded magazine in its originally designed form, as well as our extensive archive brought to you by the ICAEW Corporate Finance Faculty.
