Project Title
Developing a Marketing Strategy for Social Bite's Social Enterprise Catering
Organization Information
Organization Name
Mission and Vision of Organization
Vision
Producing less cruelty vegan comfort food to support charities dedicated to fighting hunger and combating food waste.
Mission
To delight diners with high-quality, savoury vegan dishes that highlight cuisine from regions and cultures around the world and to support charities dedicated to fighting hunger and saving environment.
Guiding Principles + Values
Equal Opportunity Statement
ILCS believes that all people are entitled to equal employment opportunity. We do not discriminate against employees or applicants on any basis that is prohibited by applicable law, including race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, religion, political belief, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability and criminal conviction unrelated to employment.
Values
At ILCS, we pride ourselves on operating our charity in a socially and environmentally responsible manner, while providing our employees with an inclusive, respectful workplace that fosters professional development.
Contact Information
- Primary Contact Person(s): Ali Haeri (he/him), Treasurer
- Email: bhaeri@yahoo.com
- Address:
- Website: https://soulbitefood.com/
- Alternate Contact Person: Igor Bjelac (he/him), Sales Manager
- Email: igorbjelac@yahoo.com
Preferred Method of Contact
- Best method(s) to contact: Email
- Best day(s) to contact: Monday-Friday
Preferred Platform(s) for Student Meetings and Collaboration
- Zoom
Project Description
Note: This project will take place online and in person
Context/Background
Welcome to Soul Bite Food Inc., a plant-based catering business with a passion for creating delicious, innovative dishes that promote health, compassion, and sustainability. Soul Bite is the social enterprise branch of the charitable organization, Immigrant Link Centre Society (ILCS). It was founded to help grow ILCS’s food distribution capacity to further serve the mission to re-distribute viable food to community members who would benefit from a supply of nutritious foods. We produce plant-based food, and donate 50% of profits to support charitable initiatives. Soul Bite also creates employment opportunities for newcomers, understanding that newcomers face barriers to accessing the Canadian job market.
Our menu features unique recipes inspired by traditional Eastern European and Middle Eastern flavors, made with authentic spices and ingredients. But we don't just stop there. We're committed to making a positive impact on our local community and the environment by supporting local charities fighting hunger and food waste. At Soul Bite Food, we believe in the power of plant-based eating to improve health, reduce environmental impact, and create a more compassionate world.
Students can join us on this journey, discover the incredible flavors and benefits of our plant-based cuisine, and help us improve access to healthy food for food insecure individuals and families in our own community. ILCS gathers and distributes useable, unsold food from grocery stores to the community at no cost -- support for Soul Bite supports ILCS' financial sustainability!
Food Systems Issue(s) Addressed in this Project
Our prepared foods are already available for purchase in grocery stores throughout BC's Lower Mainland and beyond, and now we are expanding into the catering business. Across Metro Vancouver, there are many socially-minded food and catering businesses offering cuisines from around the globe. LFS 350 students can help us stand out from the crowd. How can we best communicate the story of what makes Soul Bite unique? How do we tell the story of our beginnings, our social mission, and of course, our delicious food? A research-based marketing strategy will help us attract potential customers more effectively.
Main Project Activities
- Research socially-minded catering businesses operating in Metro Vancouver
- What does Soul Bite do that the others do not? In other words, what makes us unique?
- Using market research approaches, help us identify and understand our potential customer base. Who is most likely to hire Soul Bite, and why? What kinds of events do they organize, what kinds of menu items are they looking for? etc.
- Develop a set of key messages that express Soul Bite's uniqueness, in a way that will appeal to our potential customers (e.g. include photos, images, or other relevant strategies). The target number of messages will be determined with the community partner
- Suggest communication platforms where we can reach customers in an efficient and cost-effective way
If time permits
- Help test the key messages for effectiveness -- are some more effective than others?
Main Project Deliverable(s)
- A spreadsheet of socially-minded and social enterprise catering business operating in Metro Vancouver
- The spreadsheet should be a systematic analysis including key information like: what cuisine(s) do their offer, where do they operate (geographically), what kind of social mission(s) do they support, other relevant dimensions?
- This will help us find unique angles to tell the story of Soul Bite, why we are different from the others (e.g. plant-based foods, supports refugees and immigrants, reduces food waste, etc.) and generally why customers should hire us
- A set of key messages (this could include photos and pictures) that would appeal to potential customers and help us stand out
Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)
- Interest or experience in market research/marketing
- Passionate about environmental sustainability
- Interest or experience working with social enterprises
- Curious about how data can be leveraged to support social and community causes
Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?
- N/A
Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?
- No
How much self-direction is expected from the students?
- Deciding on the project deliverable(s): Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
- Developing the activity plan and timeline: Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
- Scheduling and initiating the communication plan (e.g. weekly Zoom check-in, biweekly email update, etc.): Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
- Implementing the activity plan (e.g. surveying stakeholder groups): Mostly led by students, with some community partner input
- Finalizing the deliverable(s): Equal leadership between students and community partner
Related Community Service Opportunities for Students
- There are volunteering opportunity for students to participate. Please ask!
Required Reading
Project/Partner Orientation Materials
- https://immigrantlink.ca/
- Nasruddin, E., Misaridin, N.A.F. (2014). Innovation for a social enterprise business model: An analysis of key success factors. International Journal of Organizational Innovation
Additional Materials
- Daou, A. (2019). M Social Catering: Challenges of scaling a social enterprise. SAGE Publications: SAGE Business Cases Originals. Available from UBC Library
- Leung, S., Mo, P., Ling, H., Chandra, Y. & Ho, S.S. (2019). Enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of social enterprises in Hong Kong: A three-dimensional analysis. China Journal of Accounting Research, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjar.2019.03.002
- McCarthy, B., Kapetanaki, A.B. & Wang, P. (2020). Completing the food waste management loop: Is there market potential for value-added surplus products (VASP)? Journal of Cleaner Production, 256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120435
- Social (Value) Procurement Policy & Supplier Code of Conduct (City of Vancouver)
Expected Outcomes
Intended Short-term Project Outcome
- Soul Bite staff have a research-based understanding of potential catering clients so they can develop more effective marketing messages and strategies
Learning Outcomes
Through this project, I think students will learn about...
- Marketing
- How social enterprises differ from other businesses
By working on this project, I think students will develop skills and/or awareness of...
- The role of research in effective communication
- Socially-minded food businesses throughout Metro Vancouver
By the end of the project, I believe students will come to appreciate...
- A hands-on experience in food industry