About Us
We deliver high-quality catering while also creating employment opportunities and promoting social inclusion.
Where We Started
It all began with Maria Grazia Loddo, who started working as a pastry chef at Piemontese in 1981. Together with her husband Maurizio, she developed the Jojoba business, building high-level culinary and organisational expertise. Her professional journey continued at Corsaro, the large-event catering division, where she gained extensive experience in the sector.
The turning point came when Maria Grazia, together with Michela Campus — a psychologist specialising in social project development — created the idea of a business combining culinary expertise with a mission of inclusive employment. She then involved her long-time colleague and friend Gabriella Tocco, with whom she had worked for years at Corsaro’s catering division.
From this shared vision, Ainhoa was born: a Social Cooperative that brings decades of catering experience together with the belief that food and work can become practical tools for empowerment and social inclusion.
1981 — From Piemontese to Jojoba
Maria Grazia Loddo began her career as a pastry chef at Piemontese in 1981. Together with her husband Maurizio, she created Jojoba, a restaurant and catering business that became her first step into entrepreneurship. Years of intensive work followed, combining kitchen operations, menu planning and the management of major events.
Corsaro — Extensive Catering Experience
Maria Grazia joined Corsaro, the large-event catering division. There she met Gabriella Tocco, a colleague who soon became a close friend. Together they refined every aspect of the service: menu planning, logistics, food safety and the coordination of front-of-house and kitchen teams. It was an experience that created both a strong professional and personal bond.
The Birth of Ainhoa
From the meeting between Maria Grazia and Michela Campus — a psychologist specialising in social project development — came the idea of a business combining catering with inclusive employment. Maria Grazia then brought in Gabriella Tocco, her former colleague and friend from the Corsaro years. With complementary skills, the three founded Ainhoa: a Social Cooperative working in catering, contract catering and services for companies, public bodies and private clients.
Ainhoa: Catering & Inclusion
Today, Ainhoa operates throughout Sardinia with a team of catering professionals supported by specialists in the social and educational sector. We manage private and corporate events, contract catering and catering services, with the aim of delivering an excellent service that also creates employment opportunities for people facing vulnerable or disadvantaged circumstances.
Ainhoa in Numbers
The real figures behind our work. No compromise on quality, no exception when it comes to inclusion.
Sardegna
Food as a Tool for Social Empowerment
One more reason to choose our catering: our social mission.
Behind Every Service Is a Person
A buffet, an event, a prepared meal: what the client sees is the final result. Behind it are people learning a profession, developing skills, taking on responsibilities and, day after day, rediscovering what it means to be part of a team.
For this reason, we develop employment and re-employment pathways for people experiencing vulnerable or disadvantaged circumstances, designed together with each individual and, when necessary, with supporting organisations.
Not Assistance, but Real Work
Our programmes focus on two concrete goals for every person we support: providing a real source of income through meaningful employment, and creating an environment for social reintegration where practical, transferable workplace skills can be developed.
Depending on the individual situation, different employment arrangements may be used, from internships and employment programmes through to direct hiring. At every stage, training, professional growth and respect for workplace standards remain essential.
Quality Comes First
Being a social cooperative does not mean asking clients to settle for less. Ainhoa provides professional catering and food-service solutions designed around quality, food safety, organisation and reliability.
Social value does not replace service quality. It makes it even more important.
Because every service must satisfy the client while also helping to create new opportunities.
Where We Want to Go
Our ambition: to grow as a business so that our social impact can grow with us.
Ainhoa was founded on the belief that a business can — and should — create social value. Not as an additional feature, but as a driving force of the company itself. Every new client, every additional event and every contract we win can create new training and employment opportunities for people who need them.
We want to become a leading reference in Sardinia for catering that does more than provide food: catering that creates inclusion. A replicable model showing that professional quality and social responsibility can grow together, without either compromising the other.
Regional Growth
Expand our service coverage throughout Sardinia, bringing our inclusive catering model to new areas and communities.
More Employment Pathways
Increase the number of people supported towards employment independence by building long-term partnerships with local social services.
Excellence Without Compromise
Continue investing in team training and the quality of our services, because social value is demonstrated first and foremost through the quality of the final result.
The People Behind Ainhoa
A team united by a passion for food and the belief that work can be a powerful tool for change.
Maria Grazia Loddo
She began her career as a pastry chef at Piemontese in 1981. After decades as an entrepreneur alongside her husband in the historic Jojoba business, she transformed a lifetime in hospitality into a social enterprise project. Today, she leads Ainhoa with the same passion and determination, demonstrating that food can create opportunities for everyone.
Discover Her StoryMichela Campus
Psychologist specialising in social project development and personal wellbeing. She has many years of experience in the social-educational sector and inclusive employment.
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Gabriella Tocco
Passionate about food culture in all its forms. Her love of cooking began in childhood, inspired by knowledge and traditions passed down through her family.
Read MorePatrick Atzori
Thirty years of experience in the hospitality industry, built through consistency and professionalism.
Read MoreRiccardo Lampis
At 29, his passion for cooking has grown into both a professional and personal journey.
Read MoreMichele Colombelli
Sara Colombelli
A valued member of the kitchen team, recognised for her determination and strong work ethic.
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Bonaria Frigau
A dynamic mother and tireless worker who chose to reinvent herself and embrace a new professional challenge.
Read MoreAlessandro Campus
Confident and well prepared, he stands out for his professionalism and reliability.
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