The Kicks For Cause Foundation

We believe that the proper place for a child is on the playground, not in the workplace. Sport enriches children´s lives, which is why we started the Kicks For Cause Foundation. Our foundation aims to build playable soccer fields and soccer camps for children of the coffee-producing communities around the world.

There are approximately 250 million children in the global workforce, 120 million of whom work full time, according to an International Labour Organization (ILO) estimate. Especially in agricultural communities, children are often forced to work just to help their families survive. In fact, according to the US Department of Labor, more children work in agriculture around the world than in any other economic sector, making up an estimated 7-12% of workers.

But we are working to change this statistic, one bag of Marley Coffee at a time. 10% of profits from Marley Coffee UK go the Kicks For Cause Foundation.

Marley Coffee UK is a proud partner of 1LOVE.ORG

1Love´s mission is to do good in honour of Bob Marley´s vision of hope and unity. Sparked by the Marley family, it´s a flame that burns for youth, planet and peace. It supports charities that empower people to take action for sustainable and responsible living and encourages acts of love and kindness that change the world little by little.

The ‘Future Barista Programme’ in the UK

The UK coffee shop industry is a £5-billion and 14 000-outlet industry with the incredible boom nowhere more evident than in our nations coffee-crazy capital, London. Despite this, as the number of dynamic and delicious establishments in London has rocketed, what has become equally apparent is that young local people, particularly those most socially and economically disadvantaged, and in need of entry level opportunities, continue to be excluded from this exciting industry either oblivious to or unable to access what it has to offer.

With entry level jobs in coffee a gateway to a number of interesting career paths from management to machine engineering, sales and training, the Future Barista Programme, supported by Marley Coffee, is determined to address this disconnect.

Looking to build on a generous capital investment by Marley Coffee UK, we are seeking to take our taster coffee training sessions and Piaggio Ape Coffee Cart to unlikely destinations including youth clubs, training centres and even Young Offenders Institutes and prisons.

Then, through volunteering, accredited training and employment, we´re seeking to nurture some of the future faces of coffee in the UK.

Pilot work this summer in partnership with a number of outreach organisations has been successful with a group of young people getting the chance to train, volunteer and progress into paid work as the Marley Coffee Cart has gone on tour.

We´re now seeking to build on this work together with the right partners, so as to create synergies and ultimately scale in the work we´re doing.

Could you or your organisation be a partner or supporter of The Future Barista Programme? To find out more, please get in touch with Andy@marleycoffee.com