Supporting refugees and young people seeking asylum into employment through markets and wholesale of organic baked goods.
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refugees and young people seeking asylum supported through our programmes
report a significant increase in wellbeing after taking part in a programme
of Breadwinners participants have progressed into further work, uni or volunteering after graduating
We transform lives through selling bread.
We employ refugees to sell the organic artisan bread at farmers’ markets in London and Brighton, and to manage our online bread delivery service.
Our three employability programmes provide jobs, work experience, training and mentoring for refugees and young people seeking asylum.
In the same way that all our bread starts with a sourdough starter, all our programmes start with work or work experience.
We provide paid work for our Breadwinners and Proofers on our market stalls and our wholesale service for Corporates and Cafes.
Without great flour, our bread can’t get very far, and without our training workshops, our programmes would be missing something essential too.
We provide employment training on subjects like interview skills and CV writing.
Water is what brings the bread dough together. Like water, mentoring completes the programme and allows our young people to thrive.
You can register your interest in becoming a volunteer mentor here.
Risers provides early intervention support for young people seeking asylum aged 16 to 24. We provide work experience and training as Market Stall Assistants.
Breadwinners supports refugees who have been granted refugee status in the UK, but are struggling to find employment. They manage our markets and receive training.
Proofers up-skills our Breadwinners, developing their customer service and IT skills through running our e-commerce. The programme was born from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Leila from Compass Collective charity and Martin, Breadwinners Director, got married earlier this year, and had a special celebration nicknamed Weddingcholita, specially for the young people community that got them to meet them in the first place! — this was a testament to the power of community and their shared dedication to supporting young people. Surrounded by young people, volunteers, friends, family, and the youth they’ve worked with.
This People and Planet First week, we’re celebrating our wonderful partners at Shipton Mill and their Director John Lister, who is also the founder of Breadwinners! It is John’s passion for milling flour and baking delicious artisan bread that led to an amazing partnership that works for both people and planet.
Breadwinners is honored to be a top finalist in PwC’s 2024 Impact in Social Enterprise category for the Building Trust Awards! This recognition highlights our work empowering young refugees through innovative programmes and building trust within communities. Thank you to everyone supporting our mission!
Sara talks to Mubarak, one of the Proofers Programme participants, who shares that his experience in the programme has been positive. He enjoys talking to customers and collaborating with colleagues in the office.
Jonathan and Oliver of Problem Busters Podcast recently spoke to Shadia - a graduate of the Risers, Breadwinners and Proofers Programmes - about herself, her time with Breadwinners, and what advice she would give others who are moving to the UK. Martin also chats to them about all things Breadwinners.
My name is Sarah, and I recently participated in the Risers programme at Breadwinners, through Breadwinners, I was introduced to the Photovoice workshop. During the workshop, I learned several new techniques that greatly improved my photography skills, particularly the art of storytelling through images.
When I first joined Breadwinners in 2019, I had no idea how much it would shape my future. From developing crucial skills to finding a supportive community, my time with the charity has been transformative. Now, as I approach my final year at the University of Exeter, I feel a deep sense of purpose and a desire to give back to others, especially young people from refugee backgrounds. In this blog, I reflect on my journey – from Breadwinners to university – and share how these experiences have empowered me to pursue my dreams while helping others do the same.
This year we were excited to win the Employer’s Award at the 2024 Festival of Learning for our work supporting refugees and asylum seekers into their first employment in the UK.
We are delighted to be shortlisted in the Prove It: Social Impact award, and the Community Based Social Enterprise award at the UK Social Enterprise Awards 2024.
In the face of rising violence and fear across the UK, we made the difficult decision to close our markets and move our regular in-person training sessions online. Amidst this uncertainty, our community came together in a way that reminded us of the power and resilience we share.
We reinvest donations into equipment for our market stalls. Bread sales pay the wages of young refugees who work at the markets, so the more markets we have, the more employment opportunities we can provide for refugees.
Do something amazing today.
Your donation to Breadwinners has a massive impact. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is - you can help us support more refugees into work.
With your help we will be able to take Breadwinners to the next level, scaling up our programmes and supporting refugees and young people seeking asylum to get back on their feet.
Our Theory of Change sets out why we are doing the work that we do, how we do it, and the change that we want that to create.
Our work focuses on three employability programmes, but we believe that essential to the success of these, are our three ‘building blocks’ - community building activities, youth voices, and safeguarding and crisis response.
