‘Life-changing’ biscuits arrive onboard Avanti West Coast trains

• Avanti West Coast partners with social enterprise to offer their biscuits onboard
• Half the Story employs people facing major barriers to work as bakers
• Business appointed as supplier following initiative to find socially conscious partners for food and drink offering

Handcrafted biscuits billed as ’life-changing’ are now available onboard Avanti West Coast’s trains after it partnered with a small business offering supportive employment.

Social enterprise, Half the Story, is baking its chocolate chip shortbread to supply the train operator’s onboard shop.

The biscuits, which are handmade in Nottingham by bakers who have previously experienced homelessness or other barriers to employment, are described as ‘life-changing’ by its employees because the purpose-led business creates supportive jobs.

By providing a Real Living Wage, offering access to mentoring and support, employees can start a new chapter in their lives thanks to the business.

Half the Story is a joint venture between two charities – Green Enterprises, who provide supportive employment, and Green Pastures, which provides a home and support to people facing homelessness together with local partners.

One employee, who found it almost impossible to get a job after experiencing addiction and serving a prison sentence, credits Half the Story with ‘changing my life’.

Avanti West Coast chose the business as a supplier after discovering its story and sampling its biscuits through an initiative titled Pitch Social by the train operator. Alongside its food procurement partner, Foodbuy Group, they invited small, socially conscious businesses to pitch for a place on its inclusive and sustainable onboard menu, and Half the Story was successful.

The partnership with intercity operator has created 120 hours of Real Living Wage employment per month, supporting roles dedicated to baking the shortbread sold from the shop onboard Avanti West Coast’s trains.

The social enterprise has recently installed a new custom bakery, increasing its capacity to fulfil large orders including those from Avanti West Coast.

Rob Taylor, Food and Beverage Development Manager at Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re excited to offer Half the Story’s biscuits onboard our trains. These treats not only taste great - but they make a real difference to people’s lives.

“Welcoming Half the Story as a supplier supports our commitment to working with small, purpose-driven businesses that enhance the customer experience, while creating a positive, lasting impact.”

Matt Parfitt, Managing Director at Half the Story, said: “We’re incredibly excited to see our biscuits onboard Avanti trains. Every pack of delicious choc chip shortbreads represents real lives changed through supportive employment. 93 percent of our team say that working at Half the Story has positively impacted their lives. This partnership helps to boost our profile on the national stage, and to create even more life-changing jobs.”

Karen Watson, Contract Manager at Foodbuy UK & Ireland said: “We’re proud to partner with Avanti West Coast and connecting them with innovative socially conscious SME suppliers so that they can offer more sustainable options for passengers is something incredibly important to us. Seeing a product move from pitch, through to being offered onboard is a fantastic example of how our event creates real impact – supporting diverse businesses, while delivering more sustainable and inclusive options for our clients.”   

ENDS