BM Caterers has opened its first public retail location—a café and bakery—in collaboration with law firm Hogan Lovells and social enterprise Luminary Bakery.
The café at 49 Farringdon Street in London will be operated by a team from BM, joined by five new recruits supporting Luminary Bakery’s mission to empower women who have faced homelessness, domestic abuse, violence, or sexual exploitation.
The café will serve BM's Perkee coffee, a Fairtrade-certified, single-origin coffee sourced from the Soppexcca co-operative in Nicaragua as well as offering a selection of cakes and sandwiches.
Dishes will feature the Supernova sandwich, made with ‘Brett Graham’ English Iberico pork sausage in a muffin with egg, brown sauce, and Cheddar, as well as a shredded Cumbrian chicken focaccia topped with sesame chilli crunch, mayonnaise, pickled vegetables, and shredded iceberg.
Other menu highlights include a roasted beetroot salad with rhubarb, feta, sesame, and caraway sprinkle, as well as a mozzarella and avocado salad with crushed olives, sourdough croutes, rocket, and truffle honey.
BM began its partnership with Luminary Bakery in 2014 to create new opportunities for women in hospitality. This project will build on that mission, with the café serving as a training academy and hosting a monthly coffee skills day for women at Luminary’s charity.
BM managing director Angus Brydon, said: “As a progressive and responsible business, it is hugely important for us to work with partners whose values are aligned to ours to deliver products and services that have a positive impact on the communities in which we operate.
“The mission behind Nova is to offer some of London’s most vulnerable women with the opportunity to build their confidence and skills in order to create a sustainable and successful future for themselves.”
Luminary Bakery managing director Leila Siassi said: “Through this partnership, we are creating real opportunities for women to rebuild their confidence and gain skills that will help them thrive in the workplace. Every purchase made here is an investment in a woman’s future.”
David Crew, global operations director at Hogan Lovells added: “By working closely with our contract caterers, BM Caterers, we have been able to utilise our vacant shop front and their catering expertise to create a social enterprise that delivers real impact. Through this initiative, we are proud to support women who have experienced social disadvantage, providing them with valuable skills and opportunities for the future.”
