On a mission to build a better food system in Gloucester, Wiggly Charity and Project Grow have introduced a Crowdfunding campaign to launch a handcrafted sauce to sell across the county, which will generate an income stream to support social impact work.
United in the drive to empower and upskill vulnerable, marginalised and disabled people of all ages and abilities to learn to grow and cook good food for themselves, the two organisations are developing healthy, handmade seasonal sauces and preserves, with all profits feeding the sustainability of growing projects and cookery classes.
With every container of Social Source 'serving up real social change', from soil to jar, the team take an inclusive approach to creating their products, providing volunteering opportunities in the gardens and the kitchens to support development of employability skills amongst the Social Source support team.
All products are handcrafted in small batches — only using simple seasonal ingredients, with no additives or preservatives — by Wiggly Charity chef Ryan, supported by kitchen assistant Tom and other volunteers.
All the fruit and vegetables used in the products are grown and harvested in Gloucester by the fabulous Social Source volunteers, too, offering a full circle opportunity for people to volunteer at the gardens and kitchens, learning new skills to set them on a path to independence and employability.
So far, the team has created a very special Bishop of Gloucester's mulberry dessert sauce, made from mulberries picked by the Project Grow and Wiggly teams from the bishop's own garden; as well as a seasonal tomato and basil pasta sauce developed using chemical-free ingredients grown by volunteers at the Heritage Hub and made at the Wiggly Charity kitchens on Westgate Street — and watch out for seasonal variations coming soon, incorporating freshly picked chillis and home-dried herbs.
The new Crowdfunder aims to secure £10,000 with hopes to feed into the first bulk production run of Social Source, developing a range of products and creating a larger quantity to sell across independent Gloucestershire retail outlets and online.
Supporters of the Crowdfunder can gain access to exclusive rewards for donations of £5 or more, such as limited edition batches of sauce; tote bags; a Follow the Flow cookbook signed by the author; and even the opportunity to sponsor a batch of Social Source, with your business logo and contact information on jar labels and all promotional materials.
The Crowdfunder is open until Monday 11 December 2024.
