Feb 5, 2024 | Cleaning, Food and beverage products, Gardening
Enterprise name PepperGreen Farm
What’s the trading activity
PepperGreen Farm (PGF), is a social enterprise of WISE Employment, (formerly Access Australia Group), located at 40 Thunder Street, North Bendigo. PGF has been developed as a tourist and employment precinct, providing tourist attractions and experiences to visitors and the community, school programs, environmental practices and workshops, horticulture, and a range of biodiversity activities.
The site is home to the oldest Chinese kiln outside of Asia, the original Chinese Market gardens of Bendigo and the historical manure shed.
Here at PepperGreen Farm we’re passionate about growing fresh produce and showcasing the culture and heritage unique to Central Victoria. Fresh produce from the PGF garden isn’t just available for purchase but also used as ingredients for relishes and products sold in our retail space and as ingredients for yummy treats and meals from our cafe.
Set on a historic significant, two hectare site close to the heart of Bendigo, PepperGreen Farm offers a range of enriching experiences for visitors. Enjoy something to eat outside surrounded by the gardens and activity at the Farm or inside in our cafe area, or for something different, sit in the historical tram to enjoy your meal.
Plenty of onsite parking is available or visitors can catch the Bendigo tram or public bus which have stops just outside of the Farm entrances. The Farm is a short walk from Lake Weeroona and Bendigo’s historic Joss House.
Every farm visitor adds to the vibrancy and sense of community of PepperGreen Farm, thereby enriching the lives of all who work here. We appreciate your support!
What’s the social or environmental cause your enterprise addresses? PepperGreen Farm supports a range of people through targeted education, employment and community programs. In 2023, Access Australia Group merged with WISE Employment an Australian not-for-profit organisation dedicated to empowering the community through employment. Find out more about the merger here.
Feb 5, 2024 | Clothing and personal accessories, Education and Training, Employment, Furniture and home goods, Manufacturing
Enterprise name SisterWorks
What’s the trading activity SisterWorks has a shop and cafe, a catering service, do market stalls, corporate workshops, and manufacturing.
Our shop and cafe provides entrepreneurship and employment opportunities to migrant, refugee and asylum seeker women – our Sisters. While also giving people an ethical community space where everyone can enjoy a tasty coffee, grab a bite to eat or purchase quality homemade and locally designed products. Our product range includes jewellery, body care, bags, homewares, candles, toys, newborn products, hampers and preserves. Visit us in Richmond or online.
Read more about our wide variety of trading activities here.
What’s the social or environmental cause your enterprise addresses? Since 2013 we have helped over 2500 women from 105 countries. We offer a range of programs, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities that help women to develop their skills, confidence, and connections. We also provide support with finding employment, starting their own businesses, and navigating the Australian system. We believe that when women are empowered, they can make a positive difference in their own lives and in the lives of their families and communities.
Feb 5, 2024 | Building and Maintenance Trades, Cleaning, Gardening, Gardening landscaping fencing, Personal and social care
Enterprise name MADCOW
What’s the trading activity MADCOW provides a range of services that provide ongoing support to those that are most vulnerable in Bendigo. Our social enterprise arm provides cleaning, gardening and community support services to the NDIS, Aged Care, commercial and domestic clients in the Bendigo region It also provides employment and training opportunities for Karen refugees. Profits from our social enterprise provide a range of services to those sleeping rough or at risk of becoming homeless.
What’s the social or environmental cause your enterprise addresses? MADCOW stands for Make A Difference, Change our World and exists to break the cycle of generational injustice. To help prevent family breakdown and homelessness. We are a self-funded social enterprise and registered charity. Our profits support our homeless services in the heart of Bendigo.
Nov 22, 2023 | Technology
Enterprise name Youngster.co
What’s the trading activity Youngster.co is a social enterprise that addresses the critical societal issues of the widening intergenerational gap, loneliness among young and old, and the challenges posed by rapid technological advances. Youngster.co creates work and volunteering experiences for young people who assist seniors with their tech needs. Free tech-help sessions are delivered by young people for seniors in shopping centres and libraries, or for a small fee at home.
What’s the social or environmental cause your enterprise addresses?
Our impact extends beyond tech help; we’re about building connections, fostering understanding, and creating a community where everyone feels valued and respected. We also commit 50% of our profits to tech help sessions.
What is your hope for the future?
The biggest challenge is to get the seniors aware of this service. The service is free at shopping centres. Businesses interested in up-skilling their mature-age workers might find our approach interesting:
Mature-age workers have a wealth of experience, knowledge, and skills that are an asset to any workplace. However, they have not grown up with the same technologies as their younger counterparts. As a result of this, many find adopting new technology to be a daunting task, affecting their confidence, productivity, and relationships with colleagues. Our vetted Youngsters are here to help mature-age workers learn the tech skills they need to work effectively. Whether you need 1:1 sessions for specific employees or group sessions to train everyone on a new system, we’ve got it covered!
Oct 31, 2023 | Other
Enterprise name Welcome Merchant
What’s the trading activity We run curated dining events and artist-led workshops in Sydney and Melbourne, in partnership with refugee and asylum seeker entrepreneurs in Australia.
We also sell gift hampers on behalf of 9 refugee entrepreneurs.
We promote, for free, refugee and asylum seeker entrepreneurs in our online directory and social media channels. We also run free skill-building workshops for these entrepreneurs.
What’s the social or environmental cause your enterprise addresses?
We bridge the gap between the refugee and asylum seeker business community and the wider public.
We are contributing to changing the negative perception of refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia.
How are you going with the work?
We have organised 18 successful events in partnership with the refugee entrepreneurs so far, 3 of them in Melbourne.
We’ve sold around 180 gift hampers, with 90 being sold to Canva end of 2021.
We have featured 119 refugee-led businesses in Australia since we launched on Instagram in March 2020. We’ve organised 5 free skill-building workshops for the entrepreneurs.
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