At a Glance
Location: Poland
Impact Areas: Sustainable Income
People Supported:
Migrants, People with Disabilities, Women, Refugees
Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2021
Overview
In Torun, Poland, 16% of the local population is on community-based social assistance due to poverty and unemployment. The Studio M6 Foundation’s mission is to generate quality job opportunities for residents of Torun. The social enterprise aims to revitalize Torun’s community by launching business initiatives and organizing events such as local festivals, concerts, fundraising, and social campaigns.
One of the Studio M6 Foundation’s lines of business is the PERS social café; a vegan cafe that hires aspiring workers grappling with long-term unemployment, including people with disabilities, migrants, refugees, women, people at risk of poverty or homelessness, and youth. By making its products from scratch, the PERS café does not rely on external suppliers and is able to keep its prices low for visitors and tourists. The café follows zero-waste policies, donating surplus food to Torun residents in need and packaging its food products in recyclable containers, which appeals to many environmentally-conscious customers.
The Foundation reinvests its profits to provide more resources for its employees, including training programs that equip them with the tools and knowledge they need to advance their careers. Many training courses are by experts from other organizations, and class topics range from bartending to NGO management.
Results & Impact
86
lives improved
41
marginalized individuals hired
100%
food products are vegan or vegeterian
“With NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship’s support, we look forward to scaling our social brands, developing post-pandemic sales and development strategies, and expanding our sales network to new markets.
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NESsT Investment
When PERS café’s sales became affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Studio M6 Foundation reacted quickly and launched a repair and maintenance service to diversify its lines of business. Targeting local housing associations, Studio M6 Foundation’s maintenance service experienced rapid growth in its first year. To date, the foundation operates in 19 buildings with multiple permanent cleaning contracts. NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship’s investment will support the Studio M6 Foundation to expand its service capacity, investing in equipment and hiring more employees to keep pace with rising demand.
As PERS café recovers from the pandemic, NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship’s investment will also help Studio M6 Foundation to strengthen the café’s position in the vegan food market and introduce new vegan products.