The Indytute believes in supporting small independent businesses and making sure everyone can make some money all year long.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals make it very hard for small and independent businesses to compete as they cannot offer discounts that rival those of the cyber giants such as Amazon. Sales such as Black Friday also increase the cost of services and products year-round to allow companies to ‘slash’ prices over these sale periods.
This causes issues for smaller independent businesses every year. However, the past few years have been more challenging than ever for independent retailers and especially experience providers, so it’s even more important to be a rebel and boycott Black Friday.
The prices on our site are calculated to ensure everyone involved earns a fair wage for their time and expertise. To lower these prices would mean we aren’t able to pay our team or our teachers a fair wage. We don’t want you to pay more than you need to 95% of the time. We do however try and support as many causes as we can.
This Black Friday we will not be issuing any sales. However, for every sale made over the Black Friday weekend, we will donate *£5 to Made In Hackney. Made In Hackney is the UK’s first fully vegan community cookery school and charity. Donations will be made for any purchases made through the Indytute website from 00.01 am on the 26th of November 2020 until 23:59 on the 29th of November 2020.
Who is Made In Hackney?
Made In Hackney opened its doors in 2012 as the UK’s first fully vegan community cookery school and charity. They collaborate with communities to showcase and develop skills to grow, cook and eat more plants.
The kitchen started as a response to global and local crises – health inequalities, food access and climate change. These interconnected issues drive their mission to bring about positive change in areas of community, health and environment with delicious, culturally varied, nutritious plant-based food at the centre of all they do.
The heartbeat of their organisation is its cookery and food growing classes. These sessions are opportunities to come together to share skills and cultural cuisines, and deepen community connection, as well as inspiring joyful and lasting behavioural change. The results of these gatherings are beautiful. From curing type 2 diabetes, healing chronic bowel disorders, improving chronic fatigue symptoms, to gaining the skills and confidence to start a food business, or learning to cook for the first time at age 82 – the MIH family members' unique journeys after participating in these programmes never cease to amaze and inspire.
Sarah Bentley, Founder at Made In Hackney, said: "We cannot thank Indytute gifters enough. Your support empowers our community members who stand the most to gain by having an enriching cookery class experience with us. These sessions boost people's health and wellbeing, improve mental health, change dietary habits and are a brilliant way to share and learn new multi-cultural cuisines. It sounds like a big claim - but we're told our programme changes lives. Thanks for being part of it."
Why Made In Hackney?
In March 2020, they paused their usual programme to launch a COVID-19 response of online classes, telephone support for those not online, and an emergency direct to door community meal service. At the peak of the crisis they provided 500 meals a day across Hackney, directly to households who needed support with food. Today they continue to provide meals and hope to be able to do so for as long as there is need. They aim to incorporate training and jobs for local young people into the community meal service.
Made In Hackney has collaborated with hundreds of partners from home cooks and community chefs, to grassroots collectives, festivals, charities, housing associations, schools, public health bodies, small businesses, global brands and even celebrities, such as Jamie Oliver and Olivia Colman.
T&Cs: Donation to Made in Hackney is capped at £1500/the first 300 orders and is not valid with any outstanding codes or discounts.
