Our Community
We support our local communities through employment, education and charitible donations
Our Community
Supporting Charities, Supporting Communities, Supporting Education
As well as boosting the economies we operate in by creating employment and buying local, we seek to proactively improve the quality of life in our communities. We support a number of educational and community groups, such as charities, schools and sporting organisations, gifting money, time, and products.
Across our business, our people choose to support and fundraise for a wealth of worthy causes in their communities.
Supporting Charities
FoodCloud, Reducing Waste, Feeding Families
This Irish social enterprise aims to reduce food waste by redistributing surplus food to charities and community groups. Carbery Ireland selected FoodCloud as its charity partner for 2020 and 2021, donating our product and making a financial donation to support investment in vital services.
Supporting Vanilla Growers and Processors in Madagascar
Vanilla is a key ingredient for Synergy Flavours, and we have taken steps to procure vanilla beans through sustainable sources that prioritise the well-being and livelihood of vanilla farmers and their families. We work only with suppliers that use traditional curing methods, which promote environmental and economic benefits in the community. We source our vanilla from Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest and most under-developed countries. Synergy has now helped fund nine primary schools in partnership with the Madagascar Development Fund.
Supporting Local Communities
Supporting Agricultural Communities
As part of our co-operative ethos, Carbery remains very closely connected to our local communities. We support our farmer shareholders with specific farm development programmes, sustainability initiatives and quality improvement schemes. We are passionate supporters of local agricultural shows, which play an important part in the cultural life of Irish villages and towns and celebrate the contribution that agriculture makes to the wider world.
Helping Food Businesses Thrive in Chicago USA
We support The Hatchery, a non-profit organisation which enables local entrepreneurs to build and grow successful food and beverage businesses. The Hatchery provides job training and placement programmes, which in turn create sustainable economic growth and new job opportunities. In 2020, we co-sponsored a community event, providing food, treats and craft activities for local families.
Sponsoring the Skibbereen Charity Adventure Race (SCAR)
Since its inception, SCAR has raised over €160,000 for local charity groups including Bóthar, the Mercy Foundation, Dunmanway Playground, the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless People, Pieta House and Cork South West Autism. Carbery Group is proud to have sponsored SCAR since 2016 so that 100% of the money from race entries can support charities in the West Cork area.
The pandemic saw the cancellation of the 2020 race but we were still able to invite three charities to our site to receive the 2019 donations, which totalled €11,000.
Supporting Education
Preparing Young People for the World of Work
Since 2006 we have supported Mary Immaculate Community College in Dunmanway, near our Ballineen site, by helping students think about their career options and get ready for the world of work. In 2020, these events were held virtually, with Carbery staff members sharing information about working in food manufacturing through ‘Day in the Life’ briefings and helping young people prepare a CV and participate in mock interviews.
Greggs Breakfast Club, Buckinghamshire, UK
Synergy UK continues to fund a Greggs Breakfast Club at Beechview Academy, a primary school in a deprived area near its head office. The Club provides a free breakfast to 90 schoolchildren every day, ensuring they have the energy to learn. During lockdown, the school continued to feed the children of keyworkers, as well as making up breakfast parcels for vulnerable children at home.
Case Studies
Us Team: Supporting our Neighbours
When the pandemic hit, the US team was keen to support its neighbours. We distributed hand sanitiser and N95 face masks to hospitals and nursing homes and donated grinders and coffee beans.
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Adopt-a-Roadway
In 2018, we began working on the upkeep of nearby Garland Road as part of Wauconda’s ‘Adopt-a-Roadway’ initiative.
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Covid-19: Helping Those Facing Hardship
Our teams across the globe donated time, money, and essential supplies to a broad range of causes.
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Covid-19: Support for Frontline Workers
The Covid-19 pandemic put hospitals everywhere under pressure. We donated money and food to support frontline workers and bolster morale in our local hospitals.
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