CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Footprint Cafés, a new chain of sustainable enterprise cafés that will re-invest 100% of net profits into local communities has launched today. The brainchild of Georgina Hemmingway, a graduate of the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, Footprint Cafés has also attracted the personal endorsement and financial support of Horizon Discovery Group plc CEO, angel investor and enterprise champion, Dr. Darrin M. Disley who was honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours today with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion.
Footprint Cafés aims to establish itself in every corner of the world, becoming the brand for ethically-motivated tourists, giving them an authentic local experience combined with world class standards. Over the past two year Georgina has already proved the business model works with the success of New Leaf Book café in Siem Reap, Cambodia and is now expanding the concept to the cultural city of Battambang, Cambodia. Darrin Disley, who has become a trustee of the charity, has pledged an initial $150,000 cornerstone donation to a fundraising campaign that aims to raise $1 million by 2017.
Dr. Darrin M. Disley, winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, commented, “I am delighted to be supporting such a uniquely pure and socially impactful project. Georgina’s idea for Footprint Cafés originated at the Judge Business School and it is fantastic to have been part of her journey and see this come to fruition today.
“Ethical entrepreneurship is at the heart of everything I do and is also a quality which is essential for the development of any successful and sustainable growth business. I am grateful not only to be receiving recognition for the work that I have done, but also to be able support Footprint Cafés mission of addressing global illiteracy, gender inequality and local community development, one fantastic Enterprise Café at a time.”
Footprint Cafés has also launched today a second hand book donation drive. Footprint Cafés will send your donated books to Cambodia, donating any children’s books to rural schools and selling all fiction books in their cafes as holiday reads for tourists. All money raised from book sales in the cafes will be given to the local community as grants for educational projects.
Georgina Hemmingway, Founder of Footprint Cafés, added: “Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, and it also represents a significant opportunity to connect and empower local communities. At the moment that opportunity is often wasted with profits being drained off-shore to wealthy owners. Footprint Cafes will connect the global to the local by harnessing the spending power of tourism as a force for local change and empowerment one amazing café at a time.”
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About the book drive
Footprint Cafes needs previously loved fiction and children’s books. Individuals are encouraged to write messages inside the books to the unknown Footprint customer. Individuals who would like to donate to the drive are asked to write to Footprint cafes directly to organise collection.
Contact info@footprintcafes.org for details on how to donate your books.
About Footprint Cafés – www.footprintcafes.org
Footprint Cafés is a triple-lock social enterprise that is undertaking an audacious but achievable mission of building a chain of sustainable Enterprise Cafés that break down barriers to education and deliver impacting change to local communities.
Founded by Georgina Hemmingway the enterprise builds on the success of over the past three years New Leaf Book café in Siem Reap, Cambodia which now employs 17 staff and has generated and donated its profits to eight local organisations tackling illiteracy, gender inequality and community development
The expansion of the model into the cultural city of Battambang, Cambodia supported by the first phase of a $1 million fund-raising drive has already begun with further plans to expand through Indochina and beyond,
About Dr. Darrin M. Disley’s Queens Award
Dr. Darrin M. Disley is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Discovery Group plc, a successful UK listed life science company based in Cambridge. Dr Disley has made a major contribution to raising the profile of life sciences both in Cambridge and beyond.
As part of his endeavours, he has concentrated on a voluntary programme to raise the profile of entrepreneurship and its connection with life sciences. He has given many hours of time to aid young entrepreneurs through mentoring and speaking engagements. In the past four years, over 100 young entrepreneurs have benefited from his advice, time and financial support and almost a dozen businesses have been launched, raising over ten million pounds in capital. He remains an advisor to many of them.
Darrin also provides assistance to several social enterprises, students from underprivileged backgrounds and advises and assists two universities along with Cambridge University Entrepreneurs.
