Redemption Roasters 2019 Social Impact Report

S O C I A L I M PACT R E P O RT JUNE 2019

T H E U K’S F I R ST P R I S O N - BAS E D CO F F E E CO M PA N Y

FO U N D E R S’ STAT E M E N T It gives us great pleasure to present to you our social impact report, which looks back at our impact since launching our coffee roastery at HMYOI Aylesbury in April 2017.

What started out as a crazy idea, namely putting a specialty coffee roastery into a prison, has now been running for two years and is beginning to make a mark.

Together with our trainees in Aylesbury, we now produce up to two tons of coffee per week. We have four successful Redemption Roasters coffee shops across Central London, serve more than 120 wholesale clients and run in-custody barista academies in prisons across England and Wales.

Providing meaningful and challenging activity to our trainees in custody is an

incredibly important part of our mission. It leads to less monotonous time locked up in cells, better behaviour on the wings, improved relationships with prison staff, and a more positive outlook on life after prison.

We have come a long way and learned a lot over the past two years. But we won’t leave it here and have big ambitions for the future. We want to become the go-to specialty coffee training provider for underprivileged and disenfranchised groups. As such, we are looking to expand our training provision both in and out of custody. Here, we won’t just teach ex-offenders but also the unemployed and homeless to become coffee professionals — ready to work, or start a business in, this fast-growing sector of the hospitality industry.

TED & MAX

RA I S I N G T H E BA R S ECO N D C H A N C E S T H R O U G H CO F F E E

We are a London-based social enterprise who believe that we can reduce reoffending in the UK through specialty coffee.

‘Specialty’ coffee is an approach that promotes quality and sustainability throughout the value chain, from the farmer, all the way to the barista and consumer; everyone works together to create the delicious coffee in your cup.

Already operating in an industry that focuses on a positive ethos, it didn’t take a huge step for us to realise that roasting and brewing could be done in a way that impacts society.

Since 2017, we’ve been running barista training courses in prisons across England, as well as offering concrete routes into employment to the inmates that graduate from our courses.

Reoffending is a significant social issue in the UK. The statistics overleaf demonstrate this. Redemption’s core purpose is to add value to tackle the problem.

THE CHALLENGE

references on page 29

UK-wide prison population as at May 2018

92k

cost of reoffending per year to the UK taxpayer

£10bn more than

are reconvicted within one year of release

50%

most important factor in preventing reoffending is having a job on release

the

single but only

find employment upon release

26%

of prisoners don’t hold any GCSEs

47% just

42%

of prisons were rated ‘good’ or ‘reasonably good’ by Ofsted in 2018 for purposeful activity

£37k

average annual cost per prisoner to the taxpayer

I N C USTO DY

A P P L I CAT I O N application | risk assessment | offer of a position on the course

T RA I N I N G in-depth coffee

TRAINEE JOURNEY

training | 3+ weeks

APPRENTICESHIP on-the-job experience in the cafe for prison staff and visitors | 8+ weeks

O U R A P P R OAC H

F U RT H E R O P P O RT U N I T I E S referral to RR clients or wider industry network | sponsorship for further training | progression in-house

ST RA I G H T H I R E barista position in a Redemption Roasters coffee shop | 6-12 months

U P O N R E L E AS E

BA R I STA F U N DA M E N TA L S

Coffee species Growing and harvesting The Coffee Belt Grinding, dosing, tamping I N T E R M E D I AT E

Extraction Grinder calibration Milk technique

Coffee varietals

Equipment cleaning

Processing methods Dialling in Advanced latte art Alternative brewing General maintenance Workflow Flavour wheel

OUR TRAINING

Cupping

M AST E R BA R I STA

Perfecting barista skills Financials of a coffee shop CA F E F R O N T O F H O US E

Marketing for a coffee shop Chemical knowledge of coffee & water Milk science

Customer service

Advanced variables knowledge

Constructing drinks

Pressure

Speed of service

Coffee defects

Maintaining stock levels

Grinders & espresso machines

Cafe cleaning

Training others Employability

R OAST I N G F U N DA M E N TA L S

Green beans quality control Principles of roasting Roaster settings Roasted batch quality control

R OAST E RY P R O D U CT I O N Green bean storage Packaging Labelling Roastery health & safety Intro to stock management Intro to logistics management Roastery cleaning

Submission of business and impact case to MoJ

04

Launch of roastery at HMYOI Aylesbury

16 Redemption Roasters is born

03

17 17

Opening of our first coffee shop in Bloomsbury

07

17 10

17 Opening of 2nd coffee shop in Farringdon

02

18 07

Opening 2nd and 3rd barista academies at HMP Spring Hill & Bullingdon

02

Opening of 4th barista academy at HMP Wormwood Scrubs

05

Opening of 5th barista academy at HMP Woodhill

18 Opening of 3rd coffee shop in King’s Cross

Rory Stewart, Minister of State for Prisons, visits our Wormwood Scrubs workshop

10

18 19 03

19 19

Opening of 4th coffee shop in Broadgate

Hiring of our first graduate

05

19 08

19

Expected opening of our new academies at HMP Cardiff, HMP Swansea, HMP Thameside, and Brook House IRC

OUR TIMELINE

04

K I N G’S C R OS S CA F E

FA R R I N G D O N CA F E B LO O M S BU RY CA F E

R OAST E RY B R OA D GAT E K I OS K

“ W E WA N T TO S H OW T H E CO F F E E CO M M U N I T Y A N D T H E WO R L D T H AT A P OS I T I V E WO R K E N V I R O N M E N T CA N B E C R E AT E D B E H I N D BA R S . ”

— Max Dubiel Co-founder

T RA I N I N G ACA D E M I E S Young offenders spend more time behind their cell doors than their adult counterparts. 38% of prisoners aged 18-21 report that they were unlocked for less than two hours each day.

Providing meaningful activity and a welcoming space behind bars is crucial to rehabilitation. Our Aylesbury workshop was rated O U TSTA N D I N G

by Ofsted during their 2017-18 inspection.

S P EC I A LT Y CO F F E E FO R S O C I A L G O O D

* Hoxton Specialty Coffee Association training academy Prison training academies

offenders reached

of our in-custody trainees graduated with Merit or Distinction

*

At our roastery at HMYOI Aylesbury, we train young offenders in barista, coffee production, and roasting skills — as well as roasting exceptional coffee for our London coffee shops and our network of wholesale clients.

R OA S T E R Y

Our Roasting Team, led by our Head Roaster Marcus, personally oversee every batch and curate our range of coffees.

The logistics of the roastery are managed by our Head of Production, Row. The trainees are immersed in all elements of the production process and their involvement grows with their experience.

of our Aylesbury trainees spend more than 3 months with us — 14% of which over a year

The training at Aylesbury is significantly longer than the courses we offer at other prisons. That’s because roasting requires such a specialised set of skills, so we aim to keep the same team together for 6-9 months.

“ I WA K E U P A N D I ' M S O E XC I T E D TO G E T TO WO R K .

I ' V E N EV E R H A D A J O B B E FO R E , I ' V E N EV E R F E LT T H AT B E FO R E .

I G E T H E R E A N D I FO R G E T I ' M I N P R I S O N T H E W H O L E T I M E .

T H E F E E L I N G I N H E R E I S W H AT I T M UST F E E L L I K E O U T T H E R E W H E N YO U ' R E N OT F R O M BA D E N DS . ”

— C., 18

“ WO R K I N G I N T H E R E D E M PT I O N R OAST E R S WO R KS H O P, H AS D RA M AT I CA L LY C H A N G E D M Y E X P E R I E N C E H E R E AT AY L E S BU RY. ” — A., 20

“ I T ' S M A D E M E R E A L I S E T H AT CO F F E E I S W H E R E I WA N T TO B E I N T H E F U T U R E A N D O N E DAY I WA N T TO S E T U P A BUS I N E S S O F M Y OW N I N CO F F E E . ”

— G., 21

COFFEE

21% coffee machine engineer

M E A N I N G F U L ACT I V I T Y =

B A R I S TA AC A D E M Y

We have recently opened a new barista training academy at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, where we offer comprehensive barista courses to cohorts of up to ten offenders at a time. We teach the Barista Fundamentals and Intermediate modules over 3 weeks.

We hired our first graduate, D., from Wormwood Scrubs within two months and have extended an offer to a second.

D. is already a valued member of the team at our King’s Cross coffee shop. He is a hard worker and very popular with staff and customers alike.

of our trainees at Wormwood Scrubs rate the course 10/10

K Y L I E , H E A D O F E D U CAT I O N

CAREER A S P I R AT I O N S 21% barista 21% coffee machine engineer

7% wholesale agent

14% coffee trainer

of Wormwood Scrubs graduates dream of opening their own coffee shop

T H E R OA D TO R E D E M PT I O N M E N TA L H E A LT H & E M P LOY M E N T

of our roastery trainees score higher than the British population’s average on their wellbeing assesment

With 49% of prisoners suffering from depression, and incidents of self-harm at the highest level ever recorded, tackling the more intangible issues related to mental health is key to success.

K N OW L E D G E & S K I L L S

P R OS P ECTS

When asked to pick the single most important benefit of the training with Redemption Roasters, our trainees chose improvements to their mental health.

22% M E N TA L H E A LT H

According to a 2013 report by the MoJ, there are a number of factors proven to reduce an individual’s risk of recidivism: employment lack of addiction maturity levels positive relationships hope and motivation having something to give inclusion in a social group positive identity being believed in

— D., 46 “ T H AT L I F T E D M Y S E L F E ST E E M , S E E I N G P EO P L E W H O T H O U G H T M Y C H A RACT E R WAS G O O D. EV E RY T H I N G T H AT R R H AV E D O N E H AS L I F T E D M Y S P I R I T. ”

“ W H E N I F I R ST G OT H E R E , I WAS I N M Y C E L L 24 / 7 . I T ’S Q U I T E US E F U L FO R M Y M E N TA L I T Y K N OW I N G T H AT T WO Y E A R S H AV E N ’ T J UST B E E N WAST E D A N D T H AT I CA N ACT UA L LY I M P R OV E M YS E L F W H I L ST B E I N G I N H E R E . ”

“ I T H AS H E L P E D M E G E T AWAY F R O M P R I S O N L I F E A N D H AS B R O U G H T A S E N S E O F N O R M A L I T Y TO M Y L I F E . I T H AS K E PT M E O CC U P I E D A N D P R O D U CT I V E W H I C H K E E P S M E SA N E A N D H A P PY. I T H AS A L S O G I V E N M E A B E T T E R O U T LO O K A N D K E E P S M E P OS I T I V E A B O U T T H E F U T U R E . I F I WAS ST U C K I N M Y C E L L , T H I N G S M AY B E V E RY D I F F E R E N T. ” — J.T., 21

COFFEE

We regret that, for legal reasons, we are unable to provide our trainees’ names.

— K., 20

M E N TA L H E A LT H =

R O U T E S I N TO E M P LOY M E N T 60% of employers won’t even interview an ex-offender. That’s why, once released, we help find placements for our graduates.

We have 4 coffee shops in London and, whenever possible, we hire our graduates directly. When a graduate is released in other parts of the UK, we do everything we can to help them gain employment in the region.

of our London-based graduates have found employment in our cafes

ex-offenders currently working in our cafes (as at summer 2019)

As an employer in the coffee industry ourselves, we understand what it takes for people to get hired and succeed. Initially, some of our trainees can struggle with the soft skills the workplace demands.

That’s why our training focuses not only on technical capability, but also practical skills such as communication, time management, teamwork, and taking responsibility.

Our goal is for our training to be useful regardless of what trade our trainees may choose to pursue in the future.

“ T H I S I S W H AT A F R E S H STA RT LO O KS L I K E ” — David Lidington Former Secretary of State for Justice

T. was our first ever graduate to be released.

Having completed the training at HMYOI Aylesbury with flying colours, we hired him as a barista in October 2017. Like A., he was mainly based at our flagship cafe in Bloomsbury, where he stayed for a year as a key member of the team. He has then progressed to a Head Barista position within a different company. This is how his manager Jo remembers T.’s impact: “T.’s coffee was always on point and he was eager to learn more everyday — about sourcing, roasting, the latest trend, you name it! He was incredibly charismatic; one of those people who’s able to quickly turn new customers into regulars and friends.” T. now works for another coffee company and shows off his impressive latte art skills on Instagram.

We regret that, for legal reasons, we are unable to provide our trainees’ names.

T. , 2 2

A. joined us in January 2019, shortly after having been released from HMP Spring Hill.

He was promoted only four months later to the position of Cafe Supervisor at our Bloomsbury branch. In May, A. tried his hand at running his own coffee cart for the first time at the Sound Unbound festival, which turned out to be a successful and fun experience. Redemption is sponsoring him to attend a machine engineering course in Devon led by Sanremo, a prominent coffee equipment manufacturer. We hope to soon welcome A. to the RR office as our in-house engineer.

A., 23

S U CC E S S STO R I E S

We regret that, for legal reasons, we are unable to provide our trainees’ names.

C., 23

During his sentence, C. spent 8 months working with us in the roastery at Aylesbury. After displaying an excellent aptitude and a passion for coffee, served as our head trainee roaster there. When he was eventually moved to HMP Brixton, we remained in touch with him. Following his release to London, we were able to offer him employment at at one of our coffee shops, where he displayed excellent customer service and technical skills. We are delighted to see C. progressing in the industry; he now works in logistics for a well-known London coffee company.

“ T H E R R S C H E M E I S R E A L LY C R I T I CA L A N D I T ’S PA RT O F O U R OV E RA L L ST RAT EGY TO C R E AT E WO R K A N D L E A R N I N G O P P O RT U N I T I E S . ”

D. was part of the very first cohort at HMP Wormwood Scrubs. He was trained directly by our Head of Education, Kylie, who quickly realised that D. was going the extra mile to turn his life around. At the end of his 3-week barista course, D. was offered the position of Supervisor within the cafe space for prison staff. He had a job secured with us as soon as he was released and now works full-time at our busiest site in London’s trendiest new district, Coal Drops Yard. Like many other ex-offenders, D. struggled finding a place to stay, so RR stepped in to assist him in the process of searching and applying for supported housing.

D. , 4 6

— Laura Sapwell Governor, HMYOI Aylesbury

— Richard Branson Founder of the Virgin Group

“ I T ’S CO M PA N I E S L I K E T H I S T H AT CO N T I N U E TO I N S P I R E M E A N D I H O P E M O R E BUS I N E S S L E A D E R S FO L LOW T H E I R L E A D. ”

“ T H I S WO R KS H O P G I V E S M E N A Q UA L I F I CAT I O N T H AT I S V E RY V E R SAT I L E .

S O W H E N T H EY ’ R E R E L E AS E D T H EY H AV E A N A LT E R N AT I V E TO A L I F E O F C R I M E . ” — Sarah Pennington Governor, HMP Wormwood Scrubs

THROUGH THE CHAIN S O C I A L G O O D F R O M B E A N TO PAC K AG I N G

Just as our business is founded on socially reponsible principles, so we choose to collaborate with suppliers that put transparency, social good, and environmental sustainability at the core of their ethos.

D I R ECT LY T RA D E D CO F F E E We go one step beyond fairtrade — we source our coffee directly, either through our own sourcing trips or via partners that pay farmers

PAC K AG I N G E N V I R O N M E N TA L All the packaging in our shops is biodegradable or recyclable, and made from sustainable materials.

direct trade-standard prices (invaribly higher than fairtrade).

D UST Y K N U C K L E BA K E RY

T H E C E LT I C BA K E R S Organic bakery and proud partner of the Breadwinners charity, supporting refugees.

A bakery that supports young people caught up in youth violence, by offering training in baking, as well as direct employment. The scheme has reached over 125 people at risk of falling into criminiality.

B RA D E S M I L K Organic, higher-welfare farm where the cows are fed a supplement for the purpose of cutting methane emissions by 30%.

O U R PA RT N E R S We would like to thank some of our wonderful and visionary partners without whom we would not be where we are.

Richard Watson Milton Keynes College The Forward Trust The Rothschild Foundation The Ministry of Justice BNP Paribas White & Case Novus CIVA

G E T I N TO U C H

Unltd

Rugby Chambers 2 Rugby Street London WC1N 3QU @redemptionroasters contact@redemptionroasters.com

REFERENCES Statistical figures were taken from the following sources: Experimental statistics from the 2013 MoJ/DWP/HMRC data share by the Ministry of Justice Support for Ex-offenders Fifth Report of Session 2016–17 by the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee Bromley Briefings Summer 2018 by the Prison Reform Trust UK Prison Population Statistics by the House of Commons Library CBP-04334, 23 July 2018

Data collection in collaboration with Unltd Photography by Elis Parn and Britt Olyslagers Design by Susanna Basso Š 2019 Redemption Roasters