Last week we promised to publish what Barista Hustle will be doing to combat inequity and inequality within and around our company. The following marks a beginning, but our commitment stands; we will continue to improve and widen the scope of this work.

Investing in Inquiry and Education

We have engaged consultants and are devoting concerted time to examine all aspects of our business and to identify areas of improvement. This process of consultation will critically examine our hiring of freelancers and employees, our workplace, our community forums, our BH Coach program, our published and future content, and even the design and manufacture of our tools. We’re not just writing an HR policy and retiring, nor is this an overnight job: as we discover areas of weakness and also opportunity, we will make any and all changes necessary.

Regular Diversity and Inclusion training will become standard for all employees. We’ll also offer it to freelancers and partners we work alongside.

The Bursary

Currently, Barista Hustle provides USD$20,000 worth of education to charitable organisations, social enterprises and businesses annually. The sum has grown organically over the years and the program has been a great success. We’re now going to formalise this program and increase the annual amount immediately to USD$90,000. We’ll be revising this quarterly in tandem with our growth.

We will continue partnering with charities, businesses, social enterprises, and individuals to distribute this educational access. Because we believe that our partners have specific knowledge about their industry or social space, each entity receives a group license and has full discretion as to who receives the invites.

But the particular focus and reach of these partners is important. We’re currently working on specifying how many of the bursaries will be directed towards particular groups, for example, black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ persons, the homeless, jobless, disadvantaged youth, veterans, low-GDP nations, coffee producing regions, and others.

If you believe you could be a good fit for this program or have any ideas of others who would be or organisations that could help us reach the people that need it, please fill out the application form on this info page.

Coaching

We’re making some immediate changes to our BH Coach enrolment process. The program currently has limits to the number of coaches per city based on population. First-come first-served isn’t the most equitable system, so we have until now been reserving an extra spot in every area for those who are not cis male. This reservation system has been broadened to include anyone that self identifies as representing a minority in the coffee world in their area. This extra slot remains open no matter who fills the first.

For any feedback, concerns, or questions, please get in touch with us via [email protected]

To the boundaries of coffee,
Team BH