Buzzing about the Soup Bee

ACU is a proud sponsor of the Good Food Club through our Sustainable Community Grants Program.

For eight years, members of West Broadway’s Good Food Club have been growing vegetables, distributing healthy food boxes and sharing nutritious meals at community dinners.

Now the group has turned its interest in food security into a social enterprise – known as the Soup Bee.

“Members of the Good Food Club wanted to start a small business,” says Russ Alexander, who is employed by West Broadway Development Corporation to co-ordinate the Soup Bee. “We have strong links with local farmers, and members came up with the idea of making soup from local produce.” Launched in September 2010, Soup Bee now employs two members of the Good Food Club as part-time cooks and one as a delivery driver.

In addition to earning some welcome additional income, the participants also receive training in food handling and get hands-on cooking experience under the supervision of a professional chef. “The long-term goal is to help them develop the skills to get permanent employment in the food industry,” says Russ.

How does it work? Every week, Soup Bee participants cook up two batches of soup – one meat-based and one vegetarian. The soup is sold in one-litre containers and is available for pick-up or delivered to workplaces in downtown Winnipeg on Friday mornings.

For more information visit www.soupbee.ca.