Eve set-up Well Grounded after spending ten-years in the voluntary sector across education, youth employment and social inclusion. Well Grounded is the UK’s first social venture solely focused on developing talent within the specialty coffee industry. It helps people struggling to find work, such as refugees or those with learning difficulties, into training and employment in the UK’s booming coffee industry.
1. What do you do?
I’m Eve Wagg and I’m the founder of Well Grounded, London’s first specialty training academy, which connects people looking for work with sustainable careers in the coffee industry, regardless of their background.
“But Well Grounded found me. No one has ever believed in me, let alone believed in me as much as these guys” Thanks @hazelsheffield & @Independent for sharing Robin’s journey with us over at @WellGroundedHQ. Check out the full article here https://t.co/0C9jYv96uF #SoCent
— Eve Wagg (@evewagg) May 3, 2018
What is the point of the project?
Well Grounded’s mission is to support the UK’s unemployed with the skills, qualifications, practical support and job opportunities to secure and maintain successful careers in the coffee industry.
In turn, Well Grounded provides coffee shops with skilled, passionate and committed employees. Our vision is of society where people are thriving economically and socially in the coffee industry.
In the areas we work, almost 50 per cent of people are in poverty so there is a lot of disadvantage and poverty that we want to help tackle.
Our CEO Eve and a panel of our fabulous talented Well Grounded Graduates who are staking their claim in the specialty coffee industry spoke at @LdnCoffeeFest about their journey before @WellGroundedHQ, during and now. They are all so incredible! #wellgrounded #graduates #LCF18 pic.twitter.com/RTFfoLkFSj
— Well Grounded (@WellGroundedHQ) April 23, 2018
When was the moment you decided to do this?
When I was 28, I got down to the final two in an interview for the managing director of a charity. I didn’t get it. When I met the chief executive, I told him about my idea and he said I just had to do it.
He’s been my mentor ever since and the woman that got that job, she’s the chair of my board. That was when I was like, if that person thinks that, and my friends and family and husband believe in it, maybe i should.
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
This last weekend was pretty stonking – if that’s the right word!
It was London Coffee Festival. Three years ago we went and I didn’t know anyone.
I was going up and introducing myself to people but I was really nervous. Last year we helped La Marzocco lead a stand and this year we had our graduates training the public on how to make an espresso and steam milk.
I was speaking, with our Graduates including Rasha, a refugee from Yemen who is in Trieste doing a sponsored masters for five months and speaking at the United Nations about the power of the coffee industry in post-conflict areas.
On the Saturday evening we had a big group of graduates sitting round. I’m introducing them to people and seeing one of them talk for 20 minutes to the Quality Manager at Union – that for me is a really proud moment. A year ago it was just me.
As a community interest company, the work is so hard that you don’t give yourself time to think about what you have achieved. But the festival is an indicator of time.
What’s been hardest?
I just want to be doing more. I can see the people that we could be helping and I want to be there now. I know I can do it, there is always more to be done and not enough hours in the day.
It’s less hard, more frustrating, but I’m never bored. I’m just so grateful to be doing what I’m doing and excited about what the next few years will bring, as we scale-up.
What drives you when it gets hard?
Our trainees and graduates motivate me. I’ve only ever been motivated by that.
What’s the next step?
We have one coffee academy in Poplar and we’re looking at opening another in a different part of London where unemployment is an issue.
We’re building our training. W’re hoping to have the webshop up and running soon so people can buy KeepCups and other merchandise from us.
We have lots of exciting plans, but it’s mainly around how we can grow our reach to support more people.
How did you vote in the EU referendum and why?
I voted remain.
How will the outcome affect what you do?
There is a lot of discussion around how Brexit is affecting the hospitality industry and linking that to the industrial strategy and productivity.
That’s been echoes by our employers and we recognise that people in the industry are nervous. For people in hospitality a lot of their employees are in the EU.
We hope to have a role addressing that by unlocking the next generation of talent, by investing in people.
What would you say to someone looking to do something similar?
Trial it really soon to see if it works – the lean methodology approach. While that is hard, because you do make failures, it teaches you straight away.
From my position it was the social aspect I needed to test first, I wanted to see if coffee was right for the group I wanted to work with.
What a pleasure to meet Sophia and Natasha, two women at very different places in their lives retraining to work in the coffee industry with @WellGroundedHQ, a #SocEnt helping those with barriers to employment get back to work pic.twitter.com/PDq5t8PoXc
— Far Nearer (@far_nearer) April 25, 2018
I also really believe in collaboration. We connect people, so we deliver the training and support, connecting people to future jobs and connecting them to the industry.
What does community mean to you?
It’s everything, it a core value. I’m so proud that we can call our graduates our community and our friends. That community extends to our employers and the industry.
I think it’s the most important thing in life to have community around you, because some people aren’t lucky enough to have that.
