Now also in Brest: a chain of barrier-free coffee shops Inclusive Barista at A1 opened the first regional point
The most well-known barrier-free coffee shop in the country opened in Brest under support of A1. A new point of Inclusive Barista at A1 opened on 23 July at Varshavskoye Shosse 11. This is the third coffee shop of the inclusive chain that appeared in the region.
Wheel-chaired baristas Alexei Sinkevich from Polotsk and Dmitry Snitko from Bereza moved to Brest in order to cook the most delicious coffee for Brest dwellers. Not only have they qualified for the project team but also graduated with the best results from inclusive barista academy, i.e. special courses that offer further employment for people with disabilities organized by a wheel-chaired activist Alexander Avdevich under support of A1.
“We started from a single small coffee shop that employed only 3 baristas and over 1.5 years under support of A1 we managed to expand the business and scale up to the regions. Over 70 applications were submitted for the positions at our coffee shop in Brest, at that these were not only people with disabilities who wanted to join the team, however, we have prioritized inclusive staffers since it is most complicated for them to get employed. Following preliminary casting and personal interview five applicants completed a training at our Minsk coffee shops at Romanovskaya Sloboda and Octyabrskaya square. Two of them decided not only to change the employment but also place of residence”, - Inclusive Barista at A1 commented.
“For A1 the story of the project Inclusive Barista started with a post on Facebook about the first 5000 coffee cups sold at a unique coffee shop created specifically for employment of people with disabilities. Our CEO has read it too and it is almost a year since such a coffee shop operates at A1 flagship store at Internatsionalnaya in Minsk helping people with disabilities to socialize. We are happy that this story continues to inspire and promote principles of equal opportunities society and inclusivity in Belarusian regions. Our successful experience with Inclusive Barista at A1 in Minsk will now be useful in Brest”, - A1 noted.
Like in Minsk coffee shops all the details of inclusive working environment in Brest were well-thought by an architect Tatiana Tereschenko: coffee machine is in-built into the bar including a shop window and cash desk – everything you need to serve the customers quickly and comfy. Drinks are served in branded cups that illustrate personal stories of the personnel while the signboard shows the smile of the director of the chain Inclusive Barista Vasya Pavlikov, the first in Belarus director with a down syndrome.
Such expansion to the regions has been supported by another committed partner Alfa bank responsible for arrangement of payments for the coffee shop. A new point at Varshavskoye Shosse in Brest (shopping center Evroopt) will operate daily from 9am to 9 pm.