OzHarvest Ventures, the social enterprise entity related to OzHarvest, has formally taken ownership of premium corporate hospitality business, Gastronomy, whose profits will now enable more meals to be delivered to vulnerable communities across Australia.
In a bold move for the social enterprise sector, OzHarvest Ventures was set up in October 2023 to focus on innovation and exploring new commercial opportunities to diversify revenue, as a way of amplifying and enabling OzHarvest’s impact into the future and addressing the environmental and social challenges of our time.
Gastronomy is a highly regarded and well-established business that tailors in-house premium hospitality and corporate services to the brands and cultures of Australia’s most innovative and prestigious organisations such as Meta, Christie Spaces and PwC Australia among others.
OzHarvest founder, Ronni Kahn, said Gastronomy has been part of the OzHarvest journey since the beginning 20 years ago.
“This long-standing partnership and generosity of Miccal Cummins and the Gastronomy team has enabled this incredible social business acquisition, forging a new path for business for good," said Kahn.
"We’re disrupting how society thinks about how ‘charities’ should operate. More businesses should be a force for good, and profit and purpose should not be mutually exclusive. Every business has a role to play and has the power to transform society and solve our collective challenges. By using Gastronomy, your people will be fed and nourished, knowing that you are enabling us to deliver more meals to those in need,” she said.
Since 2022, the business has been donating 100 per cent of its profits to OzHarvest, enabling over 2.4 million meals to be delivered to feed people in need. This act of extraordinary intention and generosity transformed their business model into a dedicated social enterprise.
Gastronomy founder and CEO, Miccal Cummins, said he was excited to see the successful 26-year old business continuing long into the future, under a purpose-driven owner with aligned values.
“I often think about what is enough for us as individuals and as a society, and what we throw away. Obviously, the wasteful societies of the global North are unsustainable, and I felt we could play a part in reducing that waste," said Cummins.
"I’ve always been inspired by my dear friend Ronni and how OzHarvest rescues food from going to landfill and creates a real difference in people’s lives.
"In creating beautiful experiences for our customers, Gastronomy is committed to and balances people, planet and profit. This move aligns with both our personal and business values. We have always had a sense of purpose, living to create, as caring about our business customer’s hospitality enabled us to look after our community and our planet. As the next step in our long-term partnership, it made sense for OzHarvest Ventures to take over the business as formal owners,” he said.
Gastronomy’s day-to-day business operations remain unchanged and will continue with their incredible staff and customers. Their head office is in Sydney with 160 team members across Australia based within corporate partnerships in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
Miccal Cummins remains as CEO and the leadership team will continue in their roles with no changes to Gastronomy or OzHarvest’s daily operations as they continue delivering impact in food rescue, education, advocacy and sustainable innovation.
