Coca-Cola puts fizz into female entrepreneurship

A global programme from Coca-Cola which aims to empower five million women by the end of the decade has launched in Scotland.

Left to right: Petra Boznik, Tanya Meager, Dee Dewar (chef), Jennifer Grubb, Rosie Fraser. Picture: Contributed

The soft drinks giant is working in partnership with local charity, Showcase the Street, to bring the "5by20" programme north of the Border, with an initiative in Dundee to help women in the region set up their own catering businesses.

The scheme is offering aspiring female food and drink entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to set up their own business as part of a six-week intensive course where they will take classes in catering and business.

It is being run at a custom-built facility within the current Showcase the Street complex which has been transformed into The Coke Cafe. Investment from Coca-Cola GB has helped create a state-of-the-art new kitchen and classroom facilities. The launch follows a successful pilot that saw six women put through their paces.

Charlotte Oades, global director of women's economic empowerment at the Coca-Cola Company, said: "We hope the course will give women the practical skills, as well as the confidence to go on and make their dreams a reality. The 5by20 programme touches women across the world; from Brazil to Indonesia, and it’s great to see it come to Scotland."

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