Blog #11: The Working World
Over the years I have done a lot of different things getting work-ready: co-op placements arranged through school, I ran a coffee service in high school, I’ve done a lot of volunteering at over a half-dozen different locations involving very different tasks. And now I felt I was ready to be paid for my work. So I set about looking for paid employment. Not easy.
Lots of places are owned by one big corporation and they only have online applications, and if you don’t already have experience at that specific job, then it’s really hard to even get an interview.
I decided to work with an employment agency that specializes in finding work for people with disabilities. As luck would have it the agency knew about a coffee roastery that might be hiring. We arranged to meet with the owner and to tour the facility.
I have been working with a Job Coach for a few years now, working on the skillset needed to succeed in a work environment. My job coach and I started to focus on interview techniques, what questions are important to ask and what things are better left for later. For example a great question to ask is: Tell me about the job, what are some of the tasks? Some things you might leave for after you have the job are the details of how and when you get paid.
Will Wells is the owner, and head coffee roaster for The Artery Community Roasters. We met at his current location, a shared industrial space in a larger business park in the east end of Ottawa. The moment I walked in it was positive. The environment was friendly and welcoming, and it also smells delicious! Will is a really nice man, with a genuinely warm presence. He introduced me to his business and what a story it is.
The Artery is a company with a conscience, they are all about supporting people with disabilities, either visible or not, both the employees and the coffee producers and farmers they purchase their beans from. Their mission statement is that they want to employ people living with disabilities and pay them a living wage. Will told us they want the environment to work for each employee so he said they would work with me to fit the job to my needs and make any accommodations I needed to help me become a successful employee.
For example, I really enjoy a quiet working space because it can help me to focus. I also only wanted a 3 hour shift once a week to start. I also explained about my job coach and asked if I could bring her along until I was ready to go it alone. Will agreed to all my requests.
Will also asked me if I would be available to help at special events from time to time. I said, absolutely! The first special event I worked at was an open vegan market and I got to spin the prize wheel. I didn’t know whether I would be good at it, but I surprised myself, my job coach and my employer! I started out with a bang and just kept going. My job was to drum up interest and get customers to spin the wheel and maybe to sample our coffee. I really enjoyed meeting all the potential customers, and introducing them to our coffee. And it was really fun to give out prizes. It’s easy to sell something, when you think it’s really a great product.
Let me tell you about the coffee. Will has what is called single source fair trade coffee. That means that beans are from one farm and are not blended together. The coffee can be traced directly to the grower. The grower is also often living with a disability and their business relationship with The Artery helps them to succeed.
I have tasted quite a few of the kinds of coffee The Artery has to offer, and they are really good! And I’m not just saying that. So far my # 1 favourite is Regine (a light roast from Rwanda, the farmer is Muzo Regine Nyirabaihinde). This coffee is a great breakfast coffee with a full, smooth taste and a golden caramel aftertaste. My #2 favourite is Columbian Red Cat (a medium light roast from Columbia, the farm is Familia Ortega-Gomez). This is also a good morning coffee, nice and clear, mild with no aftertaste. My job coach also has a favourite, Stephen Hawkbean (a dark roast from Rwanda, from the farm collective Fugi Washing Station. It is an excellent morning coffee, deep and delicious, sweet and chocolatey.
The Artery cares about their employees, the farmers they buy from, and the wider community. This is the kind of caring in business that I would like to see all over the world. Every week I look forward to going to work there.
Happy travels!
FYI: The Artery has an online store and their coffee can be ordered at https://thearterycommunityroasters.com/
