A cup of coffee, a smile and an opportunity are the ingredients of Café Joyeux's recipe.

Studies show that 80% of adults with a form of mental disability are excluded from work.

Café Joyeux, first launched in 2017 in France, is helping to change the way people with disabilities are viewed in order to create a more inclusive society.

It is a non-profit organisation, with 100% of the profits contributing to employment and training for the mentally and cognitively disabled. It also has a shop and sells its own coffee beans, tea, and chocolate.

One of the cafe’s main focuses is to be as inclusive as possible, mainly by employing staff who have Down Syndrome or who have mental disabilities and neurodivergent challenges such as autism.

It states that its staff mission is to have “happy team members" who are trained on the job, and then able to join the cafe on a permanent basis. They work in jobs including on reception, as a cashier, and in the kitchen.

In the world, Café Joyeux currently operates 24 cafés.

Source: The Connexion / Joyeux Foundation

https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/french-cafes-with-staff-with-down-or-autism-exports-idea-to-new-york/637332 https://www.joyeuxfoundationus.org/