A brand standing for

inclusion and empowerment, sustainable tourism and social responsability

owned by social cooperatives

LE MAT EUROPEowned by

Le Mat ItalyLe Mat Sverige

Le Mat Italyowned by ITALIANsocial co-operatives

Le Mat Sverigeowned by social cooperatives

WHAT ARE SOCIALCO-OPERATIVES?

1)

WORKERS OWNED

CO-OPERATIVES

2)

SELF -HELP ENTREPRENEURS ACTING FOR EMPOWERMENT AND DECENT SALARIES FOR THEIR

MEMBERS

3)

MANY OF THE WORKERS EXPERIENCED

SOCIAL EXCLUSION, DISABILITIES

4)

THEY ACT AS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS IN MANY DIFFERENT ECONOMIC SECTORS

5)

THEY ACT FOR THE GENERAL BENEFIT OF THEIR COMMUNITY AND FOR THE INCLUSION OF ALL CITIZENS

Let’s look

nearer

• They work in a field where no other -

either public or private

– subject has ever operated;• They propose radically innovative intervention methods vis-

a-vis disadvantaged people who are offered real jobs within these companies;

• Not only disadvantaged people become workers but also, in the overwhelming majority of cases, entrepreneurs;

• Coops don’t seek to substitute or integrate the actions carried out by the public sector;

• The innovation lies at the core of the very meaning of enterprise

and its purpose inasmuch as they -

directly and

simultaneously – pursue business objectives and social objectives!!!!!!!!

Looking to the last 30 years of business….

•

Social co-ops are the most innovative entrepreneurs, they still are steadily growing creating decent jobs for a huge part of the disadvantaged population

•

They are local development agents and the main partners of local authorities

in the weak welfare system

•

Good empowering practices

and entrepreneurial capacity building processes are developing

•

Too often their only client

is the public administration and they act in the lower service market

without margins

•

They still have to fight against

discrimination and stigmatization

•

Often the sustainability is really difficult, are they too small?

•

The only solution is to become bigger and bigger?

THAT’s OK BUT

That’s why we thought to invent

a a brand

and

to develop throughout franchising

•

To distil good practice elements from a succesfull social business

•

To write Manuals and develop Tools

•

To

experiment

replication with all those methods

•

To empower and reach more autonomy and visibility on the market through

common

strategies

•

To network in a entrepreneurial way

•

To increase clients loyalty, knowledge and social responsibility

•

To use innovative marketing methods as tribal marketing

•

To develop a special

know how and

a social

franchise system

BUT WHY TOURISM?

•

We

found a successful

business case in Hotel Management by a social co-

operative

•

The Business was well run

and sustainable and people were able to explain how everything worked

•

Excellent

empowering processes could be observed

•

Many social co-operatives seemed interested in replicating and working in the field of tourism

•

Many

local authorities seemed interested in a more sustainable and inclusive tourism

to rise the value of landscape and local products

•

Tourism is a International business,

permits communication,

is asking for uniquness

•

We, our environment, our local communities need to widen horizons, to become more open, to be more able to include diversity

•

Tourists, travellers, strangers can help us to open the mind and can bring more richness to our environment

•

Tourism has to become socially more responsible and social co-operatives can play a strong role

2005 -

LE MAT was born in Italy first as an Association

than developed a Consortium of Social

Co-operatives,

the Association of Travellers

and LE MAT TECNICAL

We are experimenting replication in very different areas and with different people and co-operatives, trying to teach, to learn and to correct, analysing differences and focusing on common and sustainable quality criteria and than developing personalized Handbooks….step by step the brand becomes something real…

But why

“Social”

Franchising ?

The franchisee participates in developing the Le Mat quality

Travellers suggest and

correct

Every single Le Mat is different but you will find

many similarities!

In fact to become a real Le Mat and to achieve the Brand

it is

necessary to develop the special Le Mat quality and that isn’t as easy as it may seem!

Every Le Mat structure or system

has to develop its own handbook with the help of the central organisation and to respect it.

The Le Mat traveller association

helps to control quality. People with experience in disabling processes help us in a particular way!

2006/2007

Le Mat started

also in

Sweden

•

Swedish Handbooks•

A Team to search for a Hotel•

Experts, Architects etc.

www.lemat.se

BE WELCOME

to Le Mat Hotels, hostels, B&Bs and to Le Mat’s Fair Tourism systems

ALTHOUGH THEY ARE ALL UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT YOU WILL FIND A

SHARED QUALITY CARD

Can franchising be used in social and solidarity Economy?

Le Mat social co-operatives’ aim is empowerment, inclusion and decent salaries for unemployed and marginalized people. The tourism branch - managing hotels, hostels, B&Bs, social farms, restaurants, and other activities - seemed to be interesting. A brand wants to assure clients to uniqueness but replication is necessary to strengthen the business and the social aim.

Can UNIQUENESS be replicated?

THE QUESTIONS TO BE DISCUSSED

Thank You and join us as travellers or social franchisee

Renate Goergen -

Le Mat www.lemat.it

and www.lemat.se