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Czech Republic has a very versatile and encouraging amount of socially entrepreneurial initiatives as we found out during our initial search in the depths of Internet. That's where we started our search. It was especially exciting for my fellow-explorer that discovered a completely new field of businesses doing things differently with society and the environment in mind.
Even though Czech laws regarding social enterprises are rather flexible at the moment (not strictly defined), it hasn't stopped many entrepreneurial minds to come up with very inspiring, innovative, environmentally friendly and inclusive business initiatives. These initiatives take different legal forms - work integration enterprises, associations, cooperatives, companies with limited liability, not-for-profit organisations (further referred to as NPOs) etc (Frankova, 2019). There are also different support mechanisms in place such as grants and loans, as well as a few mainstream banks, innovation centres and business incubators that help with subsidies, intellectual capital and/or visibility. Most of the social enterprises and initiatives that we found have a social media presence (Facebook and Instagram), beside physical websites (with e-shops allowing to purchase their products and/or services).
Everyone's hard work and dedication should be appreciated
There is a considerable amount of cafes in Prague that employ a work integration principle providing meaningful employment opportunities to different disadvantaged groups of society, i.e. people with mental, physical, economic, or social challenges. For example, NPO 'Green Doors' runs three cafes in Prague 'V. kolona', 'Na půl Cesty' and 'Mlsna Kavka' that serve as a 3-step social and work rehabilitation of young people with mental disabilities allowing them to gradually obtain skills and full employment in the hospitality field. 'Tichá kavárna' (run by NPO 'Tichý svět') employs people with hearing impairment as well as people without it, in that way fostering inclusion and building awareness among employees and customers that visit the place. 'Jídelna Kuchařek bez domova' (run by NPO 'Jako Doma') offers vegetarian/vegan meals prepared by women that recently lost their homes. At 'Ethnocatering' (run by NPO 'InBaze') it's possible to order authentic traditional cuisine that is prepared by female migrant cooks (over 50 years of age that struggle with employment).
There are also other types of employment that is provided to these disadvantaged groups, among them - laundry, gardening, sewing services, also production of various handcrafted goods. An interesting initiative is being implemented by a social enterprise 'Pragulic' that employs homeless people as tour guides and tries to break the stigma around homelessness, as you get to hear each individual story and see Prague from a different perspective at the same time.
But things happen also outside of Prague...
There is a very cute initiative called 'Zašívárna' run by two ladies in Brno that offers sewing and embroidery services while providing meaningful employment to elderly women that they nicely refer to as 'embroidery grandmothers'. 'Cider Bohemia' from Plzeň trains and employs people with mental disabilities, long-term unemployed and ex-convicts in the production of ciders, juices and vinegar. All these locally-produced beverages can be purchased at the local pub or online. In a similar manner, 'Levandulovna' grows, produces and sells lavender goods in Jizera Mountains, while employing women with physical and/or mental disabilities. 'Fair and Bio Coffee Roasters' is a co-operative coffee roasting plant from Kostelec nad Labem that roasts fair trade organic coffee and employs people with mental and physical disabilities.
Some Czech social enterprises take various environmental challenges to the next level
Social enterprise from Prague 'Kokoza' focuses on educating the public and businesses on how to process organic waste (into compost) as well as assists them in creating community gardens throughout Czech Republic. 'Vobroušek' from Prague produces and sells beeswax food wrapping cloths with a catchy design making a sustainable alternative to plastic food packaging. 'Feel Greens' is an enterprise from Břeclav that grows micro-greens and salads using vertical farming - a system that uses less soil and provides water and nutrients to plants exactly when they need it. Following global trends, Prague also has its own 'no packaging' stores - 'Bez Obalu' being one of them - allows its customers to purchase household goods and food in bulk, bring and borrow empty jars, grind coffee that they just bought and much more. NPO 'Zasad' Život' from Skály focuses on educating the general public and businesses about climate change, specifically about deforestation in Czech Republic and offers you the chance to buy a tree that they will plant in the forest for you.
Let's not forget about the possibilities of Digital age...
There are also plenty of inspiring entrepreneurial examples of using technological advancements to tackle different societal issues. As, for example, a mobile app (and a website) 'Kam s ním?' run by NPO 'Ukliďme Česko' works as a connector between people that want to dispose of their waste and people that are interested to use that waste, e.g. cardboard, manufacturing leftovers, old items that don't serve their purpose for their present owners anymore. 'Alpaka-app' is a slow fashion app that allows its users to evaluate the lifespan of their clothes and many other features regarding their habits regarding their fashion consumption. 'Nekrachni' is an educational app for high-school students (but not exclusively) on financial literacy.
There are many more social enterprises that haven't been mentioned in this explorative story, but they'll definitely find their place on the Road map of Social Enterprises...
Some Interesting Reads:
Frankova, E. 2019. 'Social Enterprises and Their Ecosystems in Europe. Country Report Czech Republic.' European Union
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