Bakers Delight presented with FCA’s Social Responsibility Award

Bakers Delight  has recently been awarded the ‘Franchisor Social Responsibility Award’ at the Franchise Council of Australia MYOB Excellence in Franchising Awards, held at the 2009 FCA Gala Awards Dinner in Perth. 

The award recognises commitment and contribution from the bakery franchise group to regional, national and global communities and the natural environment, demonstrated through its commitment to health and wellbeing of Australian’s offering a broad range of freshly baked products, ongoing sponsorship, community engagement and environmental commitment.

Chris Caldwell, General Manager of Marketing and Operational Support at the bakery franchise group, said the network is continually developing and implementing community, social and environmental initiatives.

“Our commitment to local communities is pivotal to our connection with the Australian market. Having strong community links also reinforces that we aren’t a faceless brand – bakeries are run by real people from real communities.

“Bakery employees get a lot of satisfaction from going back to the local communities they serve. There is a feeling of making a real difference to the lives of so many – it brings staff and the community together.”

The bakery franchise group has been a major corporate partner of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) for nine years, raising almost $3.7 million in this time. Through its franchised bakery network, the company donates approximately $143 million of bread to charities each year.

Top Sports grants program is another community engagement program that saw the fresh bread franchise group invest over $250,000 in 60 grassroots sporting clubs and 20 schools across Australia. The Bundraiser campaign, where bakeries donated $1 from every six pack of Hot Cross Buns sold, was used to purchase valuable equipment for children’s hospitals around Australia.

Bakers Delight is currently rolling out new ‘Green’ artisan ovens that will result in a 25 per cent reduction in energy resources.

The bakery franchise network is also committed to the use of environmentally friendly calico bags and encourages paper bags where possible or reusing plastic bags, in an effort to reduce landfill.

Bakers Delight was also the finalist for the FCA MYOB ‘Excellence in Marketing Award’ with its integrated recruitment campaign to attract 500 apprentices.

Additionally, Bakers Delight franchisee Jo Patterson at Caneland QLD and former franchisees from Geraldton WA, Gerard and Carol Cafferkey, were finalists in the National ‘Franchisee Community Service Award’. Adam and partner Jaclyn Schoene from Bakers Delight Bondi Junction were also finalists for the ‘Single-Unit Franchisee of the Year Award.’