By Mikayla van Loon
The vision of growing Knoxbrooke’s Outsource social enterprise has come to life in the new Bayswater factory location, with the grand opening an exciting step for all involved.
Having been operating from a small factory on Clancy Road in Mount Evelyn when Star Mail last caught up with general manager Abdul Bakhach in March 2023, it was clear the supported employment venture had outgrown the facility.
“We went from 28 supported employees out there and we already have 40 and that’s only in six months. Our goal is to double our size now to become 85 within the next 12 months,” he said.
“Up in Mount Evelyn we couldn’t have done it. So now we can comfortably accommodate those employees.”
The packaging and distribution arm of Knoxbrooke’s offerings, Abdul said, now has the capability to engage more partnerships with businesses because of the added warehouse space, production area and loading zone which can handle b-double trucks and semi trailers.
But that too comes with the challenge of sustainable growth, something new chief executive officer Annie Revell said will be the aim over the coming months and years.
“We’re really excited but one challenge we’ve got is ensuring that what we do is sustainable, and that we look into the future and make sure that we grow in line with our strategy and our purpose,” she said.
Abdul said similarly, that growth will be a key focus to ensure more people with diverse abilities can find employment but that it’s done in an appropriate way.
“One of our challenges is to increase the number of employees and the business at the same rate,” he said.
For employees like Aaron, being in a bigger and better place has been “a pretty cool” transition.
Annie said the move has created a “beautiful vibe” among employees and “you see people are happy in what they’re doing and it’s meaningful for them”.
Going from not really having a break room in the Mount Evelyn factory to a beautiful, modern kitchen, Abdul said something that may seem like “for us a really minor thing”, for the employees they now have “the facilities they deserve”.
Welcoming Aston MP Mary Doyle, Bayswater MP Jackson Taylor and Knox Council mayor Jude Dwight to the official opening on Friday 22 March, they each said it was a privilege to have a social enterprise of this kind in their catchment area.
Located in the heart of the Bayswater Business Precinct, which is home to 5,000 businesses across the Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges councils, Abdul said not only does being among so many well known names improve credibility, with limited numbers of social enterprises in the area, they’re proud to bring more opportunities to this cross-section of communities.
For 58 years, Annie said Knoxbrooke has had employment and training for people who have “diverse abilities of all abilities” at the forefront of what they do. The factory is just an expansion of that mantra.
“To me, people are at the heart of any business but I think the employees we have here are just a little bit more special than usual, and they really make this a magical place,” Annie said.
