BERKELEY, Calif. — The 1951 Coffee Company believes in its mission of sharing refugee stories and experiences. As a nonprofit organization, the shop provides refugees with job assistance and employment through monthly barista training. Visual graphics displayed along the interior walls of the shop inform customers on the troublesome process of resettlement.
“It’s important for him to see the environment of all races and respect [them],” says customer Natasha Jacob of her 9-year-old son, whom she often takes with her. “He enjoys the numbers and graphics, and it opens a dialogue for us.” She has been visiting the shop ever since it first opened three years ago.
Co-founders Rachel Taber and Doug Hewitt “wanted to make a direct impact on the lives of the people they were already serving directly and to be their own bosses,” Melanie Miksis, 1951’s communication and fundraising coordinator, said.
“They created this business model because not only does it provide job training, but also it’s the type of job that is so customer-focused and interactive that it’s putting people in the middle of what the U.S. culture is, which would be coffee,” she said. “It’s just a great relationship-building type of job.”
Staffers are given the opportunity to attend a barista training program at a nearby church, “That’s teaching between five to eight people per month the skills on how to make coffee, from point of sales to making an espresso drink,” Miksis said.
“On three of the 10 days we invite the public to come in as mock customers,” she added . “It’s a way for the trainees to practice customer service and also to make the drinks in an environment with real people, real customers, and just get them geared up for a real job in this environment. That’s a huge volunteer opportunity that we have every month.”
The company also encourages workers to become familiar with their surroundings and go to other local shops as well.
“We recently had an employers’ event here and invited coffee-shop employers to come in and listen to a panel of some of our baristas that are now super-qualified. They were speaking about their experiences coming to the U.S., some confusion they had, and really breaking down this barrier of employing a refugee or asylee and to not have as much uncertainty with hiring,” she said .
The shop holds informational events on the resettlement issue, including recently on World Refugee Day June 20, during which each customer was given a new identification card and country of origin, an arbitrary number of family members and a level of ability to speak English.
Tables were numbered in Arabic and labeled in different languages, including French, Farsi and Tigrinya “to add that element of confusion to the people that were going through the simulation,” Miksis said. “It created a way for people to understand how confusing it is, how frustrating it could be, and how lengthy.”
“It definitely prompted people to ask themselves what more can I do and how can I volunteer, whether it be with 1951 or with a resettlement agency in the area,” she said. “People were triggered to do more, to have more interest in what’s going on, and to feel like they can make some sort of difference in seeking ways to actually do that.”
For more information, visit the 1951 Coffee Company website.
