A delicious example of social entrepreneurship

Almost two months ago, the MixVille company, together with the Charitable Foundation for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports, launched the “Sweet Joy” social project. The goal of the project: to give anyone the opportunity to please children who find themselves in difficult life situations, living in boarding schools and orphanages, with sweets.

MixVille is a manufacturer of custom chocolate, French macarons and natural granola. Using a simple online designer on the company’s website, any user can create a delicacy according to their own recipe. By purchasing 3 types of sweet products on the MixVille website, customers always received a 4th package of chocolate, muesli or macarons as a gift. As part of the "Sweet Joy" project, a gift copy, at the client's request, can be sent to children as a charity.

It’s no secret that many people want to help those in need, but they don’t always know where to turn, don’t have enough time to come to an orphanage, or feel embarrassed that they can only offer children one chocolate bar. In addition, it is often quite psychologically difficult to send funds to strangers, hoping that they will use them consciously and will really be able to please those in need. This leads to the loss of good initiative and the help that children really need does not reach the recipient. The Sweet Joy Project was designed to remove these barriers and offer a ready-made, kind and transparent solution.

Now we can say that this goal has been achieved. During the project, more than 200 gifts were collected and sent to children. On numerous occasions, customers sent entire orders to children without taking anything for themselves. After delivering gifts to boarding schools and orphanages, clients receive photographs of the children with the products and see the genuine joy they give with a simple click of the mouse.

The project is gradually expanding, and the HSE student charity ICEF Outreach has now joined it. Volunteers share their impressions that children not only enjoy chocolate, macarons and natural granola, but are also keenly interested in what “granola” is, how to eat it correctly, why “macarons” have such a name, how gummy bears ended up on chocolate bars . Knowing that the gifts were handmade especially for them makes them feel welcome and brings a smile to their face.

“For the MixVille company, “Sweet Joy” is the first socially oriented project, the implementation of which we approach with full responsibility and awareness of the importance of such initiatives for children and society as a whole. Our clients very actively supported this action, which proves that we are on the right track ways,” said Mixville development director Mikhail Lobanov.

“The children were delighted with chocolate, muesli and macaroons. They saw and tried all these sweets for the first time. Children get the feeling of a delicious and individual holiday on an ordinary day, which does not happen often in their lives,” added ICEF Outreach chief coordinator Anastasia Fedorova.

“This action is very important for us. Despite the simplicity of the proposed solution, it touches on truly important issues: the development of social entrepreneurship and interaction with the public. We will try to create a single space in which philanthropists, businesses and consumers are united for a good purpose: to please children who are in need,” said President of the Charitable Foundation for the Development of Physical Education and Sports Viktor Fominykh.