Australia’s first social enterprise bakery, The Bread & Butter Project will celebrate its 10-year anniversary at a special event in Sydney on June 21, during Refugee Week.

Co-founded by two Sydney-based baking legends, Paul Allam and David McGuiness, the enterprise has been working since 2013 to provide training and employment opportunities for people seeking refuge and asylum. In the 10 years since its establishment, The Bread & Butter Project has delivered over 81,000 training hours and helped 65 people graduate as professional artisan bakers.

The program has welcomed baker trainees from a range of countries, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Sierra Leone, Congo, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, Mongolia, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and more recently, Ukraine.

“By providing a supportive workplace that empowers trainee bakers and equips them for their new life in Australia, The Bread & Butter Project continues to help create a brighter future for many,” Paul said.

“We support our trainees to secure employment after graduation with like-minded organisations who are passionate about creating a diverse and empowered workplace.

“I’m extremely proud of all we’ve done in the past decade, however there’s still so much to achieve, and as the business continues to grow and evolve, we look forward to making a positive impact on the lives of many more refugees and asylum seekers coming to Australia.”

Trainees at the bakery are offered a 6–8 month paid training program that includes completion of a TAFE qualification, hands-on baking training, ESL tutoring, and work placements.

The Bread & Butter Project will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary at a special evening event in Sydney on Wednesday 21 June, where graduates, trainees, customers, philanthropic supporters and a range of other guests will gather to look back on the last 10 years.