Damascus Rose Kitchen is a socially impactful food business in Oxford. Currently operating out of Flo's cafe in Florence Park, they make delicious Syrian breads, snacks and sweet treats. From spring 2021 the'll be selling to food outlets around Oxford and offering catering services - creating delicious Syrian and Arabic buffets for events, parties and conferences. 

Started by a group of refugee women from Syria, Damascus Rose Kitchen's aim is to help other Syrian and Arabic-speaking refugee women in Oxford with employment, and to share their culture in a positive way. 

Thanks to support from Flo’s Oxford they have a production kitchen where they create their delicious breads, snacks, pastries and condiments. 

They are now looking for a non-executive board member with experience of setting up or running a business. If this is you... contact Team Oxford!

What's driving them?

Through personal experience, the team at Damascus Rose Kitchen know how challenging it is for women from migrant backgrounds to find employment. Barriers such as language, child care, cultural expectation or social norms, discrimintation and foreign qualification are all challenges faced by their community. Through the Syrian Sisters community group they have got to know others in similar positions and are using their skills to take positive, sustainable action. 

How far have they got?

Since October 2020 they have been cooking Syrian food on Sundays at Flo’s. This has been a huge success - giving them confidence that their delicious meals are popular with local people. With some initial seed funding and business support from Flo's and Aspire, they are currently registering as a Community Interest Company. While they're confident in their product they need to work on business and financial planning. They hope to start producing and selling Syrian food products in Spring 2021. 

Who are they looking for?

If you have experience of starting a business, you care about working alongside refugee women, cultural exchange and refugee-led business - they'd love to hear from you. Specifially, they're looking for someone with: 

● Experience bringing a food product to market

● Financial and business management of small businesses

● Excellent written and oral communication in English