COOK was founded in 1997 by Ed and Dale, two big-hearted entrepreneurs. Their founding statement was: to cook using the same ingredients and techniques a good cook would use at home, so everything looks and tastes homemade. Much has changed since then but that principle remains: they cook so you don’t have to. Its frozen meals and puddings have picked up scores of Great Taste Awards and are still prepared by hand at their three, big kitchens.
Over the years, COOK has set its sights on becoming a better kind of company. One that cares as much about doing what’s right for people and planet as about making a profit. In 2013 COOK became one of the UK’s first certified B Corporations, founding a responsible business movement that has grown to more than 1,000 British companies today.
Among its many innovative activities is a scheme called RAW Talent, supporting people into sustainable work after prison, homelessness or mental health challenges. COOK believes the biggest positive impact any business can have is on the people it employs. Through its RAW Talent initiative it has seen first-hand how a job has the power to transform lives.
The scheme was recognised last year with a Queen’s Award For Enterprise for promoting opportunities. COOK has been actively sharing its learnings with other companies to encourage them to consider recruiting people with obstacles to employment.
At a time when many business sectors are struggling to find workers, a staggering 20% of all working-age adults in the UK are classified as “economically inactive”. This untapped pool of potential employees is ignored by most companies. Yet COOK has found hundreds of talented and loyal team members who would otherwise have been overlooked.
Rosie Brown, joint CEO of COOK, said: “We have worked with hundreds of people over the years and learned that, given the right support, encouragement and environment, they can discover gifts they didn’t know they had. They grow in confidence and thrive, both personally and professionally. And in return, COOK gets brilliant and committed colleagues with so much to offer.” It’s a win for COOK’s business and for society, too.