Inclusive workplace has the perfect brew
A Lower Hutt business is set to start educating Cantabrians on the joy of coffee and inclusiveness in the workplace.
Claire Matheson and Dan Burford own Coffee Educators, which operates Co-Ed and Little Cafe.
They train deaf staff to run and manage the business and about 50 per cent of their staff have a hearing impairment.
Not long after the first cafe opened in 2014, Matheson was asked by the head of the Newlands College Deaf Unit to run a course for students.
‘‘From that day on I decided to adapt our methods to make our environment more user friendly for those with differing abilities,’’ Matheson said.
It became apparent quite quickly that the operation would move to a bigger scale, she said.
The business was so successful Matheson started a training centre in the cafe and then set up an independent school for people with various disabilities, health conditions and injuries.
‘‘Our cafes and training facility are inclusive work environments. We educate and communicate and make learning fun for staff and the customers.’’
The cafes have screens with instructional videos on how to say ‘‘hello’’ and place your order in sign language.
The couple now plan to open a Coffee Educators learning facility in Christchurch.
‘‘It’s all systems go and we hope to be operating at the end of January next year.’’
They were looking at various sites in the city but they would have to be accessible with good public transport links, she said.
Matheson, who has been working in the coffee industry for more than 20 years, said the language or any other barrier has never been a major problem.
‘‘Coffee is our language. It is something where you don’t need to be judged. It doesn’t matter whether you have a disability or not, if you can make a great coffee that unites you with the customer.’’
Coffee Educators have just been nominated as a finalist in the employer category at the 2016 Attitude Awards.
The national awards, which will be held on November 29, celebrate the excellence and achievements of Kiwis living with disability and chronic health.