Fifteen Cornwall turns five in May and with five hard, inspiring and incredibly worthwhile years behind us, we've had 61 graduates, 400,000 diners and £15m worth of business during this time. I am proud to say Fifteen Cornwall is a social enterprise success. Why? Because we understand what a social enterprise is. There is a lot of nonsense spoken about them these days, like they were something new or that they were not for profit. Our definition is simple – can you square the "triple bottom line" – can you have a clear social aim? We do – turning disadvantaged kids into the chefs of the future. Can you make money, hopefully lots of it? We do. Don't give us that "not for profit" guff! Can you do all that while walking a little more lightly on the planet? We do. But we can get better. Tick all those three boxes and you're on your way; score well on two but not on the other and you are not really a social enterprise.
For those not familiar with the concept, Fifteen Cornwall, the Jamie Oliver-inspired restaurant, takes some of the most challenged young people in Cornwall (NEET as they are known – Not in Education, Employment or Training) and helps them do something positive with their lives. It challenges the problems of youth employment and social exclusion through the restaurant and college training programme, and is supported through essential counselling care. We are looked after by Cornwall Foundation Of Promise, our charity that enables us to keep on track and provide the right amount of money for the right elements of our social enterprise.
Without social purpose, Fifteen Cornwall would just be another fancy restaurant and without the commercial reality of a restaurant we'd be just a glorified youth centre unconnected to the market and the real demands of the restaurant business.
With the training programme costing around half a million pounds a year, it is not cheap to run. For this reason we need to maintain various income streams. Restaurant trade is good but we always have to ensure we are ahead of the game. We invest in marketing and PR to ensure bums on seats and our messaging gets out there. It is this kind of specific marketing activity that guarantees we can see advanced bookings so we know where we are each month. The project also receives vital funding from the public sector, which has enabled Fifteen Cornwall to become a reality. It has grown into an unashamedly commercial social enterprise and restaurant, dedicated to putting 100% of its profits back into the development of young people and suppliers from Cornwall.
For social enterprise success, you need to have a genuine raison d'être – something that really means something to people - and then back it up with a commercially driven and sound business plan. You need to have a team of people who really know what they are doing – and some (even if not all of them) who know how to make money. You need the best from the private sector combined with the best in the charity sector and this is what I think we have here at Fifteen Cornwall.
What's next for Fifteen? Over the past five years our focus has been to concentrate on consolidating the two income streams I mentioned. In terms of the future we cannot sit on our laurels and will need to explore other sources of income. Finding sources of finance is certainly not unique to our business or to any social enterprise – but being creative and genuine about it is what counts. We need to continue making incredible food, serve our customers but also look for new and exciting ways to make sure funds never stop coming in. Watch this space ...
Dave Meneer is the CEO of Fifteen Cornwall and Cornwall Foundation Of Promise
• For more information about Fifteen Cornwall and its social enterprise success story visit Fifteencornwall.co.uk
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