Social enterprise Miss Macaroon’s products have gone on sale in Selfridges’ Birmingham store after buyers saw posts on the brand’s Instagram account.
The retailer is selling gift boxes of ten and twenty macarons in a range of flavours including 53% dark chocolate, fresh raspberry, pistachio, fresh lemon, strawberry, rhubarb & custard and mango & cinnamon.
“We’ve had a really strong start to sales in Selfridges and we’re hoping to build on this with monthly sampling in store,” explained Miss Macaroon founder Rosie Ginday.
“It’s great to have such a massive brand selling our macarons,” she said, adding the Selfridges listing would build on the brand’s existing relationship with Midcounties Co-op, which stocks Miss Macaroon products in premium deli stores across the Cotswolds and Midlands.
“This mainstream retail exposure helps us grow our brand and, importantly, tell our unique story to a much bigger audience, leveraging much-needed funding in the process.”
Miss Macaroon helps to give local people access to training and employment through its Macaroons that Make a Difference (MacsMAD) programme.
The MacsMAD initiative has been running for more than ten years and provides people who are low in confidence, suffering mental health issues or have been unemployed for some time, with access to a ten-week course that includes time in the Miss Macaroon training and production kitchen where they work alongside professional chefs.
The aim is to give individuals skills in catering, retail and marketing, while supporting their development through mentoring and access to a psychotherapist and counsellor.
So far, 134 graduates have completed the MacsMAD programme, with 27 currently employed at Miss Macaroon.
Last year’s profits have been reinvested into funding dyslexia, ADHD and autism diagnosis for MacsMAD graduates who needed it and couldn’t wait the two or more years it takes to receive one from the NHS.
“We’re expecting to train another 80 young people over the next twelve months, but that’s just the start,” said Ginday. “There is also the possibility of creating a joint venture to deliver MacsMAD in conjunction with a partner organisation and to grow the co-delivery model so we can support even more people who need it.”
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