Big smiles abound at Sunny Coffee in Shepetivka. Behind the counter of this cute coffee shop, young Ukrainians with Down syndrome collect, prepare and deliver the orders to the clients. An atypical but heart warming place to get your tea and macchiato.
"The concept of launching a coffee shop had been on my mind for quite some time,” says Lyudmila, the founder of Sunny Coffee. “Young individuals with intellectual disabilities face large difficulties. It is a pressing issue in our country. With Sunny Coffee, I want to offer them employment opportunities as well as to help them in their social adaptation.”
Lyudmila’s unwavering motivation also has a personal dimension. “I have a ‘sunny’ son myself, and when he turned 18, I realised it was time to take action". So she did.
Work on Sunny Coffee had already started when Lyudmila decided to enroll in the Express Online Incubator for Social Enterprises, a program developed by the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund to help social entrepreneurs in the realisation of their projects. “I wanted to fine-tune the concept, acquire further knowledge and get more skilled as an entrepreneur,” says Lyudmila. “All those expectations were fully met”.
It was during this incubator program, in April 2023, that the coffee haven first opened its doors to the public. Since then, a lot has changed. Having successfully completed the incubator program, a panel of impartial judges selected Sunny Coffee for financial support.
"Sunny Cafe was able to secure over 270,000 Ukrainian Hryvni (about 6.700 euros) for the expansion of our enterprise,” says Luydmila. “Thanks to this grant, we were able to set up a summer terrace for our coffee shop. This led to a twofold increase in customers and a corresponding boost in profits."
And the future looks bright as well. Lyudmila and her team managed to attract new partners and get additional funding via the government project eRobota. This is echoed by the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund. “Sunny Coffee is still a small project, but with a big heart. And with great impact on society, because it sets an example of what and how to scale to hundreds of cities and towns throughout Ukraine.”
Also, they serve a great cup of coffee. What’s not to like?
