Hanwha B&B receives social enterprise certification

Hanwha B&B employees pose next to a sign notifying that the company is a government-certified social enterprise, at its Beans & Berries café, in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Hanwha Group

By Park Jin-hai

Hanwha B&B, Hanwha Group’s delicacy affiliate, has been certified as a “social enterprise” by the Ministry of Labor, the company said Thursday.

The company that runs 36 Beans & Berries branches hires some 200 people as all-timers. The company fills 40 percent of them with the socially weak, including those from single parent and low-income families.

It is the first time that an affiliate of local conglomerates has been certified as the title.

Also, when it purchase ingredients, it uses more than 15 percent from the social enterprises and hold free consulting sessions for some 30 smaller neighborhood cafes a year.

The support program which took place in January and June designated 13 small cafes and provided a total of 2 billion won fund to aid their business.

“They all have seen their monthy sales revenues jump 35percent on average from 7.34 million won to 11.32 million won,” said a company spokesman ina statement.

It has decided to return the two-thirds of all their sales to the benefits of society through the reinvestment.

“We would like to supply stable jobs to the vulnerable people and establish the business environment where big and small companies could prosper together,” said the official.

A free barista academy is also in operation to teach the expertise to 200 small business owners each year.

The company declined to receive various benefits that follow the government certificate.

Meanwhile, its parent Hanwha Group in March changed a total of 2,043 part-timers into regular positions to provide job security.