Wildflyer Cofee expands to St. Paul, brewing up employment opportunities for homeless youth
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A Minneapolis coffee shop is expanding across the river to St. Paul, bringing more opportunities to employ young people experiencing homelessness. Wildflyer Coffee just opened this past weekend in the city's West 7th neighborhood.
Anticipation is brewing at Wildflyer Coffee as they prepare to welcome a new batch of employees in April.
"Obviously when you start something the idea is just with you, and then seeing it grow and other people latch onto it is exciting," Wildflyer Coffee CEO Carley Kammerer said.
Kammerer founded Wildflyer Coffee in 2017 at just 25 years old. They work with the nonprofit RS EDEN to employ youth experiencing homelessness. Across both locations in St. Paul and Minneapolis, they hope to hire up to 60 youth a year.
"Youth homelessness is a community problem so this is a way for the community to come together and address it," Kammerer said.
Under the program, employees work 20 hours a week for four months. Besides earning a livable wage in a stable work environment, they go through coaching programs to develop personal and professional skills.
"Really try to focus on what's next and what our youth want for their lives and what they want to do and how we can help connect them to getting there," Kammerer said.
"A lot of employers are like, 'Oh, you don't have an address. so therefore you must be transient,' and therefore it brings all sorts of
awful stereotypes in," shop manager Mackenzie Thede said. "It may simply be they just can't afford the bus and food at the same time."
With the location next to RS EDEN housing, they hope some employees won't have to worry about transportation.
Since the work program began, Wildflyer says 80% of its graduates were employed or enrolled in education at their check-ins.
"I want to be able to prove that youth are not just successful during their time here but after they leave here, being able to continue that success," Kammerer said.
For more information on Wildflyer Coffee, click here.