Business Cases
Empowering Active Ageing Through Food
Avó Cooking Lab
Avó Cooking Lab is a social innovation project that uses food as a tool for active ageing and social inclusion, bringing together women over 60 and younger generations around the same table.
The idea started with the opening of the Impact Hub Lisbon space in Penha de França, creating an opportunity to rethink how the kitchen could become more than a functional space — turning it into a place for connection, learning, and opportunity. Developed in partnership with Fermenta, and powered by Portugal Inovação Social and Fundação Auchan, Avó Cooking Lab was created to bring this vision to life.
The initiative creates a living kitchen where grandmothers share culinary knowledge, engage new audiences, and generate income — through catering services, workshops, and curated food experiences.
The briefing
In Lisbon’s neighbourhoods, older women — many living on minimum income or pension — face a growing risk of social isolation and economic vulnerability.
The challenge was to design a sustainable model that could respond to this reality: valuing their experience, restoring a sense of purpose, and creating real income opportunities.
Impact Hub Lisbon partnered with Fermenta to co-develop and implement this model over a 30-month pilot.
The strategy
The approach placed grandmothers at the centre — not as recipients, but as protagonists. The project combined hands-on culinary training with real market opportunities.
Through catering services, workshops, and community experiences, participants developed skills while generating income. Chefs, companies, and local partners were engaged to ensure the model was both socially rich and economically viable. Impact monitoring, grounded in a Theory of Change, ensured the project remained accountable to its outcomes from the start.
The outcomes
- 24 grandmothers engaged, with 3 integrated into paid catering roles
- 350 people reached through workshops, community meals, and public events
- +50 requests received, with services delivered to companies including Google, Ageas, and Critical Software
- Over €10,000 in revenue generated within the first 6 months
- +50% average income increase for grandmothers involved in the catering service
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