At a Glance
Location: Poland
Impact Areas: Employment Generation, Placement
People Supported:
Marginalized Individuals, Refugees
Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2023
Overview
Almost 40% of Poland’s population live in the country’s rural regions, many of which have high poverty rates stemming from limited economic opportunities, geographic isolation, and under-developed infrastructure, education, and social programs. With a mission to drive economic growth for rural communities, Dworzysko is a recreational complex located in the small town of Szczawno Zdrój, in the south west of Poland. Surrounded by nature, Dworzysko combines a passion for caring for the environment and the local community with circular economy principles to offer high-quality accommodation, active outdoor activities, an events venue, and sustainable catering options.
The resort is home to the Babinicz Restaurant, which has been recognized nationally as one of the 100 best restaurants in Poland for its environmentally conscious slow-food approach to dining. The team sources high-quality, seasonal ingredients from local producers of organic food, prioritizing proximity to reduce transportation distances. It also places emphasis on providing rural farmers with fixed, stable contracts to secure their income. In the kitchen, “nose-to-tail” and “root-to-stem” concepts ensure every part of the ingredients is utilized in the restaurant’s innovative dishes. These sustainable approaches ensure nothing goes to waste and significantly reduce the resort’s carbon footprint.
Currently, Dworzysko employs a total of 90 people, almost 85% of whom are from marginalized backgrounds, including Ukrainian refugees, single mothers and women finishing their maternity leave, youth entering the job market, and individuals in long-term unemployment and from low-income rural households. Dworzysko focuses on employee capacity building and facilitates cyclical vocational training in kitchen operations, hotel reception, housekeeping, and restaurant serving.
The resort also offers basic needs support for displaced individuals most in need, including on-site accommodation and support to get children into local kindergartens and schools. During the summer months, it provides free public transportation, flexible working hours for mothers, and free horse-riding lessons for employees’ children.
Results & Impact
almost 85%
of staff from marginalized communities
163
refugees employed or placed in jobs by 2027
60%
of permanent staff recruited from refugees by 2027
“We truly believe that power is in people! That is why we put our people first. It is our responsibility to take care of each other and create standards that our team members feel comfortable working in. This lies inside our ground rules.”
NESsT Investment
Dworzysko runs a sustainable catering line that delivers healthy, nutritious meals to local factories, kindergartens, and schools. To increase production capacity, financial support from NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship will be used to upgrade infrastructure and equipment. Additionally, marketing efforts will be increased to tap into new customer bases and identify new revenue streams in the hospitality and catering sector. These strategic decisions aim to strengthen the business’s financial stability and create more internal job opportunities, above all for refugees.
As part of the Refugee Employment Initiative, Dworzysko will expand its employment model to provide specialist courses, including language classes and skills development training for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. NESsT will also support the Dworzysko team to measure its impact on the environment and the local community to ensure the resort’s growth aligns with their needs, with specific assistance to forge strategic alliances with more farmers and producers in the area.