4 brilliant London social enterprises for your coffee fix
It’s almost a given that if you’re in the early stages of starting something up or embracing the freelance life, you’ll have spent some time working out of cafes (or anywhere that’ll have you!)
Asides from finding the perfect spot, the other thing that makes my coffee taste better is knowing it’s giving back to a good cause. With the rise of social enterprise cafes, there’s so many amazing spots to choose from. Here are my top four tried and tested social enterprise coffee spots in London:
- Second Shot Coffee, Bethnal Green
Second Shot is a lovely little coffee shop located just around the corner from Bethnal Green tube station. The wifi’s strong, the coffee’s great and the baristas are lovely.
Second Shot employs people who have been affected by homelessness, train them up and transition them on to long term employment elsewhere. They support individuals on their journey, taking them from where they are to where they deserve to be.
They also have a pay it forward option, so you can provide a coffee or a meal to someone in need. Coffee that does good and tastes good — no brainer.
2. Redemption Roasters, multiple locations across central London
Prisoners are 50% more likely to re-offend if they leave prison without skills and a job. Redemption Roasters tackles this problem by working with the Ministry of Justice and prison services to run barista training centres and cafes.
Redemption Roasters works with young offenders, training them up in roasting, brewing and barista skills and addresses the state of reoffending.
Their baristas get to really know their coffee, and craft each batch with care. The result is, as they website says (and I can personally testify to), “a finely crafted cup of coffee that raises the bar for everyone”.
Paper & Cup is a not for profit social enterprise created by the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, a charity that supports people with complex needs to recover from drug and alcohol addictions. Founded in 1965, they now deliver a range of services in Shoreditch to help people maintain long term recovery.
Profits from the coffee shop, Paper & Cup, go towards supporting the work of the charity. The cafe is a bright and welcoming space, with great coffee and cake. A major added bonus is that they also have books you can buy that cost mere pennies (Get it? — Paper and cup!). The space is also open for hire for events, shoots and parties!
4. Change Please, multiple locations in mobile carts across central London
Over the last decade, homelessness has doubled in the UK with an increasing number of people sleeping rough every night. Change Please believes that the nation’s love of coffee is so strong, it could just help end homelessness once and for all.
Change Please empowers the homeless community by training them to be baristas. They provide full barista training, London Living Wage jobs and support with housing, bank accounts and mental well-being.
They’re social enterprise staffed by the homeless, to help the homeless, proving that really good coffee doesn’t just taste good — it does good too. You can find their mobile carts dotted around London, perfect for on the go caffeine boosts!
We’re also keen to buy social, so let us know if there’s any food or drink social enterprises you like — we’d love to hear from you!
