“Early signs in America are strong,” Mangan says. “Our value proposition resonates with equipment dealers—our core channel—and with operators who want options beyond traditional bank finance.” Today, the company employs 350 people globally. B CORP BEFORE IT WAS COOL SilverChef became a B Corp in 2015—“when B Corp wasn’t on every corporate slide,” Mangan jokes— and completed re-accreditation recently with a high score.The certification brought structure to a culture of doing good seeded by founder Allan English’s philanthropy. The company’s anchor partner is Opportunity International, where SilverChef is one of the charity’s largest individual corporate contributor. The focus: microloans to women living in poverty in lower income countries (e.g., Indonesia, India, and—through Opportunity’s U.S.—in Latin and South America) to start and grow micro-enterprises such as kiosks or small livestock operations. Staff make weekly donations that SilverChef matches, compounding impact. Closer to home, B Corp shows up as policy and program: • Volunteer Leave: Paid days for employees to serve local charities (e.g., AusHarvest in Australia). • Community Equip: Refurbished or returned equipment offered to not-for-profits that run food services, with very low rates and fast approvals that banks typically won’t touch. • Community Grants: Quarterly cash grants to grassroots organizations across all operating regions. 83 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 07, ISSUE 10 SILVERCHEF
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