Persons with disabilities, also known as PWDs, are a community that is frequently ignored in the food service business. Caravan Food Group is working to change this by tapping into this community and providing them with employment opportunities. Caravan is “Doing Good through Good Food,” and here are the four ways they are making a difference.
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Prioritizing Inclusivity
Caravan Food Group (the firm behind Elait! and Overdoughs) is led by CEO Francis Reyes, who hires primarily people with disabilities. Reyes acknowledged that this bold idea was perilous for a service-based company, especially in the age of social media where a single dissatisfied customer may do irreparable harm to a company’s reputation. Caravan Food Group, however, maintains its commitment to diversity and inclusion by giving its Deaf Partners secure employment and training opportunities, all while serving its loyal consumers with delicious, high-quality food. Just by buying from them, you’re helping them hire more people with disabilities and give them better job chances.
Employees Can Rise The Rank
In addition to promoting diversity at all levels of the organization, the corporation helps its employees develop into managerial positions within it. It is standard practice at Caravan to promote from within, with team leaders receiving the same training as any other employee and eventually being considered for promotion to the role of supervisor. This is in stark contrast to the typical working environment for people with disabilities. Deaf professionals are less likely to work in the service industry because of the constant need for verbal communication. For the group of people with disabilities, this is a tremendous advance.
Opens up the world to PWDs
As a result of hiring people with disabilities, the organization has seen an increase in good client reviews. Kids in particular would go to the stalls where the deaf worked so they could practice their sign language skills with the customers. Elait! and Overdoughs’ shops teach customers how to sign common phrases like “thank you” and “I love you,” and they also provide cards with the full sign language alphabet. An order form is also available for consumers to fill out in order to make communication with their deaf partners easier.
Good Food for a Good Cause
Aside from these, they also have “The Good Cookie Project” under Overdoughs as another effort for inclusivity. They are able to make a contribution toward the education of students attending the College of St. Benilde’s School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS) as a direct result of the sales of the cookies that they make.
Final Thoughts
Caravan Food Group Inc.’s level of commitment and enthusiasm for its mission of inclusivity and diversion is one that should be applied by all companies. If a corporation is prepared to hear the struggles of people with disabilities in the workplace, it will surely deserve your support.
