The café is backed by Communitas Supportive Care Society, an establishment that allows equal employment opportunities for people with varying abilities who may not be given the same chances elsewhere.
The Cascade got the chance to speak with Communitas’ Program Director, Chris Karema and Little Sprout Café’s Head Chef, Kerry Martin, to discuss the importance of Communitas’ initiative.
“The café is the vision of Communitas, because of the gap that we were noticing in the workforce. One of the driving factors [was] the fact that we needed something to be able to provide experience and equip some of our people serving with a passion to be in this industry,” explained Karema.
The café first opened its doors in 2021, but according to Karema it had some issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were some closures that occurred, but over the years, Little Sprout has established itself which wouldn’t have been possible without the effort and push by Communitas.
Little Sprout was born from a mission to create an inclusive environment where people could learn and grow without judgement, to hone their skills, or develop new ones. Communitas carefully works with individuals to ensure they thrive in employment.
“One of the biggest [aspects] is the ability to provide [Communitas’] training program and also hire within [it] … Sometimes we get people for three to six months, they go through the training to see if they like something they would never really try.”
If individuals realize they might prefer a different program, there are opportunities available for them, but they are always encouraged to adopt skills from their placements.
“Sometimes, somebody might come and they might not potentially like [the work], but they usually leave with a skill set. Either they learn how to cook certain things, make some drinks, support themselves, or even [develop] the ability to stick to three months looking forward to something … So there’s always a benefit for them to go through the training one way or [another] — whether they end up working in the café or not.”
Alongside Karema, Martin, a professionally trained chef with over 40 years of experience, emphasized this point.
“A lot of our trainees, our staff, need a little more patience and understanding with their training than can be kind of done in the industry … With that, they become very strong and capable, able to work out in the industry … So this gives them an alternative with the right kind of guidance and support to succeed.”
Communitas’ purpose extends its positive impacts to the community — supporting Little Sprout builds connections and engagement as the café uses local and fresh ingredients.
“We want people to also know that we are community members who support our own community. Because it is very important […] there are the partners that we wish and hope that they will see us and potentially consider hiring some of our trainees. So it’s both ways … that’s why it’s called a social enterprise.”
The café is built on the foundation of reciprocal relationships — to support the community and have the community give that support back.
“At the end of the day, Little Sprout exists with the intention of, if we make a profit, reinvesting into our mission … We invite customers and we want to be successful, but at the end of the day, we are here for the people and to make sure that we’re making those bridges as well.”
Communitas’ goal is to highlight that community matters. Support is essential to building inclusive workspaces such as Little Sprout.
While the hiring process is unique, Karema feels that shouldn’t be the case.
“One of the hopes that we always [have] is that social enterprises or cafés like this … might not be needed in the future. We hope that more and more employers realize or at least plan to remove any sort of barriers, to provide easy access to employment to all people, and providing whatever necessary accommodations to support them in their development as well.”
Little Sprout does a lot of good for the community, and that is maintained in the kitchen as they prepare meals with care and keep their menu inclusive as well.
“We have the most delicious food … which is fresh, local. We have vegan, gluten free [food]. We have all kinds that we accommodate. We’re very inclusive, trying to make everything accessible for all people that walk into this place, so there is a plate, a drink, or something for everybody, so they can come and celebrate.”
Interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
