Problem addressed

In 2018, 182 asylum seekers were living, and thus seeking legal protection, in Croatia. These people face challenges when entering the labour market. Only 7.5% of those granted protection do not depend on state welfare and are employed in some way. The slow social integration of refugees and migrants is due to a range of societal stereotypes, which lead to prejudice and discrimination, as well as to lack of access to adequate support services.

Innovative solution

Food, gastronomy and dining play a central role in Croatian culture. The Centre for Peace Studies (CPS), a Croatian NGO, aimed to use this to break down negative stereotypes of refugees and migrants in Croatia. In 2014, they published the Taste of Home cookbook, sharing the personal and culinary stories of refugees. Culinary workshops and public presentations were organised in Croatian cities with refugee shelters. Refugees presented traditional food from their home countries and regions and shared them with local citizens. A media campaign was launched with the aim of reaching out to the Croatian public and promoting universal messages of tolerance and respect. In conjunction with the media campaign, the story of Taste of Home was presented in an ethnographic documentary directed by Martina Globočnik and FADE IN (Okus doma, 2016).

Following the success of the cookbook initiative, Taste of Home was established as a social enterprise in 2016, founded by 15 individuals, including refugees and individuals internally displaced during the wars in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The social enterprise offered catering services provided by refugees and migrants, supporting integration, whilst providing them with a source of income to become financially independent. The Centre for Peace Studies (CPS) co-founded the social enterprise. The Cluster for eco-social innovation and development (CEDRA HR), the Iskra Association and NESsT have strengthened the social cooperative by running training sessions on social economy and developing the participants’ soft skills.

Key results and benefits

Taste of Home gathered 30 refugees and volunteers united in combating prejudices against refugees and migrants in Croatia. Mainstreaming refugee and migrant stories and personal experiences through gastronomy helped to raise awareness of the situation of refugees among Croatian citizens. The initiative also had a positive impact on the refugees, who had opportunities to create and bond over preparing and sharing food in an inclusive environment. This dimension is especially important for the psychological wellbeing of refugees, as most of them do not have safety networks in Croatia and have few opportunities to see their families and friends in their countries of origin. Participants in the initiative managed also gained financial emancipation through the social enterprise, and are now part of the 7% of refugees who do not depend on the Croatian state.

Potential for mainstreaming

Given the central role of gastronomy, music and the arts in many European countries, there is significant potential for transferring the experiences of the Taste of Home to other Member States should funding be available. The key challenge experienced by Taste of Home has been financing. Taste of Home started with a crowdfunding campaign, which raised approximately EUR 18 000. The European Social Fund financed 80% of one of the streams of the project under the name ‘Quality Integration Solution for Refugees’. As a result of these contributions, Taste of Home had the initial financial capital and impetus to implement its activities. As there is currently limited economic and political support for social enterprises in Croatia, the Taste of Home social enterprise primarily relied on the financial income generated through its catering activities. However, this was not sufficient in ensuring its sustainability, and the social enterprise ceased its activities in 2018. In other countries with a more developed social economy environment, this model would be able to thrive more easily.

Taste of Home was acknowledged as an example of good practice at EU level and awarded the European Citizenship Award for Social Enterprise of the Year in 2017. It is also part of the MIGRENT network, which gathers around 50 different European migrant businesses. As a part of the network, Taste of Home founders contributed to the organisation of an international conference on migrants’ enterprises in Zagreb in 2017, funded through a Grant from the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb.