Socialising with social enterprises

On May 8th, GROW Gippsland Compact Member Latrobe Valley Enterprises (LVE), met with two social enterprises employing community members with barriers to work in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

The morning began in Officer at the Outlook Environmental E-waste facility, where employees work with electronic materials and break them down into recyclable parts. As LVE consider their options for their own recycling facility, both parties discussed the pros and cons of this area of waste management.

A social enterprise contracted out for large projects in the area while also running a whole-sale nursery, Yarra View Nursery in Mount Evelyn, showed the group around the site. Discussions centred around how to maintain a customer base, with everyone agreeing that in-order to keep customers returning and to attract new, the product being delivered must be appealing and consistent, regardless of the ‘social enterprise’ tag.

The day was a valuable meeting for all, with fantastic conversations around being an inclusive employer; especially the benefits for the employees, and the possibility of working together in the future.