Community Profile: The Cookie Project

Ability before disability

In a world where one-in-four Kiwis has a disability but only 22 per cent are in employment (versus non-disabled at 70 per cent), it’s worthwhile highlighting the ventures that are trying to address this inequality. The Cookie Project is one such social enterprise, seeking to help Kiwis with disabilities understand their value to themselves and society. What can we learn from their story?

The Cookie Project is the only baking company in New Zealand focused on providing meaningful employment to people with disabilities. Since being launched in June 2018 by Graeme Haddon and Eric Chuah, the social enterprise has provided over 2,400 hours of employment to more than 30 Kiwis with disabilities.

“Our cookies are purposeful,” says Eric. “All are handmade by a person with a disability and 45 per cent of what you pay for a bag of cookies, goes directly to wages.”

The team has recently settled into a new kitchen in Eden Park, Auckland, and their bakers are incredibly proud of their cookies, which feature Kiwi brands including Lewis Road Creamery butter, Trade Aid chocolate and Pic’s peanut butter. “Using only five ingredients and having no preservatives, colourings or additives, means the product is tasty and healthy,” says Eric.

Some might be sceptical that this is just a marketing gimmick, using people with disabilities to sell cookies, but The Cookie Project overcame this by introducing personalised QR codes on its packaging, so consumers could find out exactly which bakers made the cookies. Customers can then leave the baker a message of encouragement. In its first year of operation, over 1,100 unique scans were made by customers.

The Cookie Project is providing meaningful work and paying at least the minimum wage of $18.90 per hour.

“It saddens me that there is a minimum wage exemption policy, and many people with disabilities are working under this policy,” says Eric. “I’ve heard of people who are earning as little as $1.75 per hour.”

Inclusive organisational values have been imperative in this journey, says Eric. “We have three values. We welcome, respect and appreciate everyone (inclusion). We aim to be the best in everything that we do, especially cookies (world-class), and we create shared experiences to provide a sense of belonging (whanaungatanga).”

As for recruitment, the overriding factor is kindness. Resumés or interviews are not needed, and each individual is respected and appreciated for who they are. “We have an open hiring policy to empower individuals to be the best version of themselves,” says Eric. “We recruit on attitude, and make sure our motivations are aligned.”

A study conducted by the Blind Foundation in 2017 found that adding 14,000 disabled people to the workforce would boost the New Zealand economy by $3 billion. Eric and Graeme have taken note of this and have set about making a difference to many lives.

“I would really urge HR professionals to be in touch with their unconscious bias, open their hearts and minds and look at the disability whānau as a labour and talent pool.”