McCain Foodservice celebrates nine new start-ups at first street food market
McCain Foodservice Solutions hosted its first Streets Ahead Programme food market at Gispy Hill Brewery in south London last month.
Streets Ahead launched in June 2022 and aims to support a new generation of operators from less advantaged backgrounds with the backing of social enterprise KERB+.
The successful participants from the programme's first intake traded at social enterprise KERB+'s Gipsy Hill market at the end of September.
Dishes on offer included Syrian falafel and hummus, Italian focaccia sandwiches with jerk chicken, and curries with roti and Indonesian chilli sauce sambal.
Kemi, who attended as a stall and has now fully registered for her business Kemi's Kitchen, said: "It's difficult for us to get a job if you are a refugee. It doesn't matter the degrees you have at home, most jobs will tell you that you need to have UK experience. So how are we going to have UK experience if they don't allow us to work?
"If I receive the funding from McCain I'll look for where I can start my own business and employ refugee women like me. I'm happy with the way the team has encouraged you, I've seen people that they've supported before. They said a lot of things that really encouraged me to say I want to go ahead with the programme. I'm proud of the outcome of my food. I feel very, very happy."
McCain invested over £100,000 in the programme and awarded its first cohort of 12 street food businesses in June of this year.
Mark Hodge, McCain Foods GB marketing director said: "The Streets Ahead Market was a momentous occasion for McCain Foodservice Solutions. To witness the culmination of 15 months hard work pay off for these new businesses was a delight to see.
"I'm proud we could invest in these remarkable individuals to complete their training and now provide them with this opportunity to gain hands on experience trading for the first time. We're excited to see their businesses grow."
Gavin Dunn, managing director of KERB+, said the day "marked the end of an amazing year where we have worked really closely with each participant to hone their business and culinary skills".
He said the programme's winners "can go from strength to strength in the knowledge that [they] in the first year have blazed a trail for future participants to also become successful food business entrepreneurs.".
