Read now, Brewing a brighter future: Unemployed youth embrace barista training

Famous Brands, which owns some of South Africa’s best known food brands, is fighting youth unemployment and changing young peoples’ lives – one cup of coffee at a time.

Together with the Youth Employment Service (YES), the company’s Brewing a Better Future programme has already given more than 210 previously unemployed youth the chance to forge a career as a barista.

The programme has a strong focus on empowering young women. In South Africa, it’s estimated that 47% of women are economically inactive, compared to 35,6% of men. As such, more than 70% of the Brewing a Better Future participants are female. After their training, the young brewers are placed in franchise outlets like Wimpy, Mugg & Bean, Netcafe and Vovo Telo.

The effect of their newfound employment is profound. YES Youth are often the only employed person in their household, and this holds true for the Famous Brands cohort. With 80% of the Brewing a Better Future programme youth having dependents, and 77% coming from grant recipient households, a cup of coffee can hold true transformation. When a single youth gets employment and training in a highly in-demand skill, their income benefits their entire families, and pours much-needed resources back into their communities.

One of the aspiring baristas, Nomcebo ‘Tiyo’ Qwabe, from Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal, was born deaf – but she’s not letting her disability stand in the way of forging a brand-new career in the world of coffee.

Tiyo’s experience of the YES barista programme at Famous Brands is expanding her world: “I’m gaining new skills, connecting with different people, and learning to be a team player. I feel excited and proud of myself as this programme opens up new opportunities for me.” Tiyo not only has new skills that will be invaluable for her future, but her 12-month quality work experience has also allowed her to generate an income to support her family.

Tiyo’s story is a powerful reminder that creating accessible employment programmes can truly change lives, and with two billion cups of coffee consumed across the globe every day, this barista training is a future-facing initiative. “Barista skills are incredibly empowering. With this programme, young people can go from no prior education or training, to having a skill that’s in high demand around the world right now. It’s also the type of skill that youth can leverage to create their own small business, which means it encourages upward mobility at every level,” says YES Chief Operating Officer Leanne Emery Hunter.

The programme participants are currently competing in a YES-hosted Barista Championship. One challenge of training as a barista is getting access to commercial-grade equipment to practice the full range of skills needed to make anything from a humble cappuccino to a gingerbread latte with confidence. In the run-up to the Barista Championship, the Famous Brands team decided to offer additional training sessions at their Regional Centres of Excellence to ensure the young baristas have plenty of time to practice their soon-to-be world-class skills.

Famous Brands National Coffee Training Manager Danielle Stapowicz says, “Young people have so much drive to succeed, all they need is a foot in the door. At a time when youth unemployment is sky-high, we are proud to be working with YES for another year of unlocking youth potential. Not only is it good for the youth, it’s good for our business, and for the country as a whole.”  As the youth of the Brewing a Better Future programme turn their skills into new careers, their passion and energy may just invigorate the entire economy like a strong cup of coffee.