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Soly Malamine

Soly Malamine | Cooperativa Abarka

Biography

Malamine Soly is a chef, hospitality professional with more than 20 years of experience in Europe, and co-founder of Abarka Cooperative, a project that sees gastronomy not only as a profession, but also as a tool for dignity, inclusion and social transformation.
Over the past six years, Soly has helped build and consolidate Abarka as a non-profit cooperative that uses gastronomy, and particularly the richness of African cuisines, to create employment opportunities for migrants in vulnerable situations.
Through this project, the kitchen becomes a meeting place between cultures and, at the same time, a pathway towards employment inclusion, greater autonomy and support for the administrative regularisation processes of migrants in irregular situations.
His work at Abarka reflects a different approach to the restaurant industry and the social economy, placing people at the heart of the project while highlighting knowledge, cultures and experiences that often remain overlooked.
Through his experience, Soly demonstrates how a gastronomic project can go beyond the kitchen and become a tool for creating employment, community, a sense of belonging and new opportunities for the future, showing that gastronomy can also be a powerful driver of social change.

Sessions

11:30h

Round table | .

The Restaurant Industry as a Tool for Social Integration

Marc Badia Fundació Catalana Sindrome de Down Integration Coordinator Speaker

Soly Malamine Cooperativa Abarka Founder Speaker

2026-11-04 11:30 2026-11-04 12:30 Europe/Madrid The Restaurant Industry as a Tool for Social Integration The hospitality industry is much more than an economic activity. It is a sector built around people, teamwork and human interaction. These characteristics give it the potential to become a powerful tool for social and employment inclusion, particularly for people who face greater barriers when entering the labour market.
This round table will explore the role that restaurants, hospitality businesses and industry professionals can play in creating opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, refugees and other groups facing particular barriers to employment.
The aim is to approach inclusion through real-life experience. Rather than discussing inclusion only as a concept, the session will showcase initiatives that are already demonstrating how it can become part of the everyday operation of a business, generating a positive impact for both individuals and the organisations that embrace it.
The Fundació Catalana Síndrome de Down will share its experience in supporting the employment inclusion of people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. Representatives from hospitality businesses such as Grupo Tragaluz and La Confiteria will also take part, sharing their first-hand experience of welcoming these professionals into their teams.
Their stories will provide insight into how people are integrated into the workplace, what support may be required, the challenges that can arise and, above all, the impact this process can have on individuals, teams and businesses.
Integration through gastronomy
The round table will also feature the Abarka cooperative, a project that uses gastronomy as a tool for social transformation and works to create opportunities for migrants and refugees.
Its experience will broaden the discussion around the hospitality industry’s potential for inclusion. Kitchens and dining rooms can become meeting places for different cultures, knowledge, personal stories and ways of understanding food. Employment can therefore play a fundamental role in regaining autonomy, building connections within the community and developing a new life project.
The discussion will address practical issues that are essential to building a more inclusive hospitality industry, including workplace support and adaptation, team training, overcoming prejudice, and the commitment of business owners and human resources professionals.
From awareness to action
One of the main objectives of the round table will be to encourage the hospitality industry to take action. Learning from businesses that have already done so can help remove barriers, answer questions and demonstrate that bringing diverse profiles into the workplace can also be an opportunity to build more diverse, people-centred teams that are better connected with society.
Employment inclusion enables people to develop their abilities, achieve greater autonomy and participate actively in society. But the benefits are not one-sided: businesses and their teams can also gain from new perspectives, experiences and ways of interacting.
This round table aims to give a voice to the people, organisations and businesses making this change possible, share experiences that can serve as inspiration and encourage other establishments to begin their own journey.
Because behind every employment opportunity there is much more than a job: there is autonomy, dignity, belonging and the possibility of building a future. And hospitality can be one of the places where that future begins to take shape. Aula Alimentació Sostenible Barcelona

Wed 4

11:30h - 12:30h Aula Alimentació Sostenible Barcelona Free access