Helping the Sydney community with relationships, parenting, ageing, disability, pastoral services and mental wellbeing.
Approximately 23% of Australians start their working day with a barista-made cup of coffee. For those looking for a cup served with a smile and a whole lot of ability, it is worth looking for the BariStars coffee trailer.
Launched on 10 November by CatholicCare CEO Alastair McGibbon, with a blessing from Bishop Terry Brady, BariStars is an incredibly rewarding initiative from CatholicCare Sydney’s Disability Services – providing training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
In the past, NDIS Supported Employment offered as part of CatholicCare’s Disability Services has focused on gardening and cleaning services, however, thanks to a donation from the Estate of Bishop Bede Heather a group of incredibly motivated and enthusiastic participants have joined the ranks of Sydney baristas. Bankstown Sports Club generously provided a mobile coffee cart, coffee machine, and grinder for training, and Vittoria Coffee generously gifted BariStars with two coffee machines and two grinders for the mobile trailer, along with a six-month supply of coffee beans, plus tea, cups, sugar, napkins, and syrups, ensuring the aspiring baristas serve the finest coffee.
Every participant from the Supported Employment program receives full barista training and on-the-job support to learn the required hospitality skills to prepare them for the role.
It is anticipated that the mobile coffee trailer will not only become a financially viable business but one that increases the wellbeing of all BariStars participants. It promotes the benefits of meaningful employment for people with a variety of disabilities and raises the profile of CatholicCare and its services.
To find out more about BariStars and book the coffee trailer for your next event please click here.