Start your own food business – FREE workshops

In the spirit of love for local supply chains and resilience, and in collaboration with Lambeth Green Community Champions, we have organised a series of workshops aimed at supporting anyone with an interest in starting their own food business from home. We call out to makers (or aspiring makers) of all things edible to join us at either or all the events below. These will be an opportunity to learn a few tips from established local food businesses, market traders and food safety advisers. They’ll provide also important networking opportunities for meeting possible buyers and to find out what exactly is missing out there which you could be making and selling!

Workshop one: Thinking food

This session is designed to help you identify your barriers to starting a food business and how you can overcome them and help you find local people, and resources to support you. Meet existing businesses and food enterprises who will be able to help you work out any local supply gaps, providing budding food entrepreneurs with valuable market information.

When? Tuesday 13 March, 6 to 8pm
Where? Dogstar, 389 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LQ

Meet local food business owners including:
- Theo Haunsler, The Breadroom
- Stafford Geohagen, Healthy Eaters
- Steve Ross, Kaffbar
- Melissa Morgan, Ms Cupcake
- Harry Niazi, Olley’s Fish Restaurant
- Anne Fairbrother, Brixton Cornercopia
- Jonny Rushton and Liam Brown, Seven
- Ossie Bash-Taqi, Ossie’s Ginger

Workshop two: Practical steps

See it all in action by taking a tour of Brixton Town Centre and Markets, meet businesses and market organisers, and get some tips from Lambeth food safety advisers.

When? Tuesday 20 March, 10am to 1pm (including lunch)
Where? Kaff bar, 64-68 Atlantic Road, SW9 8PY

Hear from Lambeth food safety advisers, on the food safety requirements and support available in starting up your own food business. The presentation will be followed by a walkabout of Brixton town centre and a chance to meet local businesses that are sourcing or thinking of sourcing locally, and local market organisers. Lunch will then be provided at another local venue, where we’ll have a chance to network and hear from each other’s experiences.

Workshop three: Tasting and testing

This session is for anyone with an interest in sampling all things local, whether as customers or businesses. Local growers and makers will showcase their wares, such as fruit and vegetables, preserves, chutneys and breads, so that you will have a chance to find out about (and taste!) what is available to you. And for those looking to start your own food enterprise, it will be a great opportunity to meet people who are doing it already.

When? Monday 26 March, 7 to 9pm
Where? The Canterbury Arms, 8 Canterbury Crescent, SW9 7QD

- Advice provided on packaging and marketing from Brixton Station Road Community Market organisers and stall holders
- Growers and makers display their food and produce samples
- Informal networking session with drinks and nibbles provided – a chance to ask the growers, makers, local businesses and make new connections!

To apply:

Please fill in our online application form (you’ll need to hover your cursor over it and a link will appear), or email us at: events@brixtonpound.org. If you have no internet access, you can call 07525 806 470 and a form will be sent to you.

Please return this to: Sue Sheehan, Sustainability Unit, London Borough of Lambeth, 5th Floor, Blue Star House, 234-244 Stockwell Road, SW9 9SP.

We will confirm ASAP whether you have been successful in securing a place.

 

Brixton Pound Christmas Party!!! Oh yes indeed…

So with Christmas now really and truly out of the way…well we decided to hold on to the festive mood for a little while longer and postpone our party until mid-January when we thought we would be in serious need of cheering up.

We hope you and your friends and loved ones can join us on the night, Thu 19th January 2012 from 6:30pm at Kaff Bar.

Kaff Bar are both on our paper and electronic currency schemes, so plenty chance to play with your phones on the night.

There will be DJs and some finger food, and more importantly a great crowd of Brixton residents and businesses to socialise and network with.   We shall also be  at hand to sign up any newbies onto our amazing Pay by Text service, for which you get a 10% automatically added to your account every time you top it up.

Other than that, it’ll be an informal evening of drinks, nibbles, chats and DJ’s spinning their tunes.

We look forward to seeing you then!

The Brixton Pound Team