Kitchen’s Coffee Partnership Celebrates Inclusivity and a New Way of Working for Employees

Creative agency Kitchen has opened a coffee shop on Newman Street, Fitzrovia with non-profit organisation SEND Coffee as part of a new way of agency working to support a more inclusive culture.

Wanting to do something different to build a culture that inspires ideas and fosters an inclusive environment, Kitchen founders Ed Chilcott and Tim Clyde searched for the perfect coffee charity partner to share their vision with. After meeting a number of charities, they met the talented and passionate Harry George, who founded SEND Coffee.

SEND Coffee, recently rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, mentors and supports young people with Special Educational Needs towards a career in the speciality coffee and hospitality sectors. They offer a comprehensive training program tailored to each individual, teaching hospitality and barista skills alongside essential life and interpersonal skills. 

The Kitchen Coffee Shop is open to the public, supporting the local community of businesses and residents, while the Kitchen agency is located beyond the coffee shop offering a energised and inspiring place to work and for both the team and their clients. 

Ed said, “Lockdown demonstrated the importance of a culture of support and togetherness and inspired us to choose an environment that benefits our team by outwardly supporting others; inspiring and motivating them and our clients every day. In Harry we found passion and a cause that enabled us to live and breathe the kind of culture that is core to our client offering.”    

Harry said, “SEND Coffee aims to deliver iconic coffee shops that stand as brilliant boutique businesses, where people with disabilities can work without prejudiced scrutiny. We aim for people to return because the coffee is excellent, and if they learn about our charitable goals then it's an enhancement of the story. Tim & Ed really understood this from the get go, and have gone above and beyond to engage with our complicated impact goals whilst offering us a space for a fantastic coffee shop to operate. We feel very lucky to be a part of the movement they're creating for businesses like theirs to partner advantageously with nonprofits like ours.”

The space will also be used to host events celebrating diverse creative talent across photography, film, graphic design and writing.