Sabrina Mutukisna is the founder of Town Kitchen, a San Francisco based “for-profit/nonprofit hybrid.” I am not exactly sure how that works, but nonetheless she has founded a very successful and impactful company. To launch her business, Mutukisna started a crowdfunding campaign through Indiegogo. Town Kitchen delivers high quality, chef-crafted box lunches each day to workers in the Bay Area. To do this, Mutukisna employs almost exclusively at-risk and impoverished youth. In addition, all of Town Kitchen’s ingredients are purchased from local small and family run businesses. Through these efforts, Mutukisna ensures that her company is more than just a business. It has a positive impact on both its employees and its customers, representing what a true local and virtuous company can look like. Town Kitchen holds their young employees to a very high standard. They are expected to show up on time and work hard, as it is not simply a charity to hire them but a chance for them to support and better themselves.
It is great to see a company making such a big impact in the lives of others. This undoubtedly can be used as a huge marketing point along with the high quality of their boxed lunches.
Really interesting that this company is making a huge difference in their community while also establishing a unique business model that allows them to reach both their community and their employees. Not only that, they seem to be succeeding in a market where the food industry is extremely competitive.