COFFEE NEWS ROUNDUP: WEEK ENDING JUNE 15TH
Wow, this has been a slow week for coffee news. Maybe it's the World Cup, which kicked off yesterday with the totally normal meeting of Russia and Saudi Arabia. Maybe it's the fact that summer seems to be edging into view, and everyone just wants to go outside. Or maybe it's the fact that there are more pressing concerns in the world right now.
Either way, the most interesting news this week has been of the environmental/social variety, so think of this as a themed week of the Coffee News Roundup.
In Chicago, Adults with Disabilities Power Aspire CoffeeWorks - via Daily Coffee News
It can be incredibly difficult for people with disabilities to find work. According to the Department of Labor, in the United States in 2016 only 17.9% of persons with a disability were employed, compared with 65.3% for those without a disability. And, when there is work, it is often lower-paid.
Of course, there are charities who invest in and employ those with special needs (shout out to the Camphill movement in general, and Newton Dee Village in Aberdeen, Scotland in particular). And, increasingly, small businesses are stepping in to create employment opportunities for the disabled—a few have been covered on the Coffee News Roundup before.
Aspire Coffeeworks in Chicago is one such venture, partnering with local roaster Metropolis to employ adults with special needs and provide job training and outreach, with all profits going to its parent non-profit, Aspire.
Read more here.
How A Tiny Coffee Company Is Taking On The Homelessness Crisis - via Huffington Post
As evidenced above, non-profits and charities are increasingly seeing the benefit of cafes and coffee companies as ideal frameworks for job training, rehabilitation and outreach. Change Please, a social enterprise based in London, is one such venture—they train homeless people to work as baristas in their mobile coffee carts and other locations around the city, also offering psychological support and housing advice.
Not content with tackling London's rampant homelessness problem, Change Please is expanding to Australia, and is in talks with cities in the US as well (with help from Will.i.am, for some reason).
Read more here.
Call for cigarette style warnings on coffee cups - via News.com.au
In an attempt to inform people of the environmental dangers of disposable coffee cups—and possibly scare them too—a movement is growing in Australia to put warnings similar to those found on cigarette packets on takeaway cups as well. Granted, this is a petition on Change.org which has so far gained 23,000 signatures, so maybe it's less of a growing movement and more of a slightly increasing trickle.
Whether this will discourage anyone from disposing of the cups incorrectly is debatable, and anyway no coffee company is going to agree to plaster warning messages all over their expensively-designed branding.
OK maybe this entry is a bit worthless. And oh hey, speaking of worthless...
Read more here.
Michael Gove brings disposable coffee cup to meeting about environmental concerns - via The Independent
Come on, man.
Read more here.
Free coffee! All you've got to do is fill a bucket with rubbish from the beach - via ABC News Australia
This is a great concept. On Australia's east coast, cafes are offering a free cup of coffee in exchange for a bucket of marine debris in an attempt to keep their beaches clean (well, clean-er).
This idea was also being explored in Sydney recently, with the Rubbish 4 Coffee initiative enlisting the help of several cafes and even a brewery.
More of this, please.
Read more here.
Is Coffee Good For you?
Yes, probably. No more evidence this week, but still. Probably.
What to read
Boom! Pow! Charlotte’s Comic Girl Coffee Fights For Inclusivity by RJ Joseph
Are We in a Bubble? by Janice Anderson and Dan McCloskey
At Uncommon Coffee Roasters, Pride Is Celebrated Year-Round by Ashley Rodriguez
Until next week, drink good coffee. Don't use a disposable cup.
