SME Case Study:
Carib Eats
Carib Eats is a social enterprise that harnesses the power of Caribbean food to bring people together and strengthen community bonds. Through their vibrant canteens, they work to improve food access, foster social connections, and preserve cultural knowledge for Black and Caribbean communities in Hackney.
During the programme, Carib Eats aimed to test their canteen as a place to establish intergenerational connections and knowledge sharing, by opening it out to both young and elderly members of the local community.
Results
13
Total number of new partners or clients in east London
12
Total number of young people engaged
Testbed Activity
Carib Eats focused on evaluating the canteen setting as an effective environment for knowledge sharing. They measured the impact of structured 2.5-hour sessions on student engagement and learning, while also assessing the optimal group dynamics within a cohort of 12 young participants.
Data was also collected on the operational feasibility of running regular Wisdom Exchange sessions in weekly canteens, with the aim of identifying any necessary adjustments required for scaling the programme.
Learning and Challenges
Through their Wisdom Exchange testbed, Carib Eats gained key insights into developing a successful intergenerational engagement programme. Structured interactions between young people and older community members bridged generational gaps, fostering mutual learning. Challenges in survey timing, youth recruitment, and event structure led to important adjustments, including earlier survey testing, broader youth outreach, and enhanced incentives.
Additionally, the inclusion of skill-sharing activities and roundtable discussions proved effective in driving engagement. These learnings have refined the programme, paving the way for a more inclusive, impactful approach to future Wisdom Exchanges.
Outputs
Business
During the FID Challenge, Carib Eats engaged with 13 youth organisations across east London, creating valuable opportunities to strengthen their engagement with younger generations on future projects.
Local Area
The testbed successfully engaged the Dalston community through its intergenerational approach, bringing together 12 young people with older community members. Diverse participation, including provisions for specific needs, ensured broad accessibility, with numerous positive intergenerational connections established.
The development of an inclusivity statement reiterated Carib Eats’ commitment to creating a welcoming space for people from all backgrounds, particularly those from the LGBTQ+ community.
Additionally, the challenge facilitated significant knowledge sharing among attendees, with many of the older members sharing life advice and younger participants providing contemporary knowledge on things like technology use.
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