COMMUNITY CHEF = COMMUNITY BENEFITS
With Seamless Innovation, from Research to Procurement to Processing to Customer Relationships, Community Chef Delivers Opportunities to Communities
Community Chef is a government-owned, social enterprise that provides quality meals at affordable prices for people who are nutritionally at risk.
The company’s priority is the provision of nutritious, varied, attractive, culturally sensitive, affordable and high-quality food that meal recipients will enjoy and truly want to eat. However, its business practices, from the state-of-the-art design of its kitchen in Altona to its quality assurance, employment and procurement policies are setting new standards and are delivering broader social and economic opportunities and benefits to its customers.
A Unique & Innovative Solution for Quality & Price Concerns
Community Chef was born out of concern expressed by Victorian local governments about long-term food security for residents who are nutritionally at risk. Concerns included food safety, the quality, variety and size of meal portions, and the level of financial investment and risk individual councils would be required to undertake to resolve the failure of the private market to provide quality meals at affordable prices.
In a ground-breaking solution, 13 municipalities, throughout Victoria, formed joint venture Regional Kitchen Pty Ltd and became the drivers behind the development and construction of the state-of-the-art food production facility in Altona that is leased to Community Chef. The facility was specifically developed and designed for the secure supply of high-quality, low-cost meals that would be culturally relevant and fulfil the range of dietary requirements across all communities. The kitchen – the only one of its kind in Australia – opened in December 2010 and now prepares and delivers more than 100,000 meals a month to its 20 local government customer-shareholders and has evolved at the request of other sectors to meet the needs of nursing homes, hospitals and other organisations.
Today, Community Chef is leading the way in the provision of nutritious, appealing and affordable meal options for people requiring care. Its production kitchen is a facility is a leading example of the benefits of a shared services model. This focus on innovation and win-win outcomes for local governments and health service providers drives Community Chef as it expands its meals delivery programme across greater Melbourne and into regional Victoria. The information below outlines just a few of the broader benefits of joining the growing Community Chef network.
Regional Distribution Hubs:
Plans to Deliver Triple Bottom Line Wins
As it expands into regional communities, Community Chef is carefully facilitating the planning for development of regional distribution centres under a shared services model with local government and other relevant health service organisations.
The model envisions warehouses and cool storage for Community Chef’s meals that also act as a clearing hub for local producers to access the Melbourne market via the back loading of delivery trucks as well as space for organisations such as Foodbank – a social, environmental and financial win for all parties.
Procurement Policies and Research
Community Chef is committed to long term food security. As part of this, it works actively with its customers to develop social, economic and environmental policies and opportunities through research partnerships, advocacy, experimentation and use of its purchasing power. Community Chef’s supply of carrots and brown onions, for example, come daily from Karkana (Wimmera Uniting Care) in Horsham, an organisation that employs long term unemployed and people with an intellectual disability. Karkana meets all Community Chef’s stringent quality standards and is HACCP accredited. Community Chef also provides surplus meals at no cost to the Foodbank and Second Bite who deliver to isolated and homeless people and others with special needs.
Employment
Community Chef offers career pathways and entry level opportunities and support for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market.
Community Chef’s passion is to provide healthy and appealing food for the nutritionally at risk; food that meal recipients enjoy and want to eat.
To learn more about the benefits and opportunities available through working with Community Chef please call us on (03) 9368 5900 or contact us.