Holy Grounds Coffee Company Created In Effort to Bring Employment Opportunities To Those In Need
GLOUCESTER COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- A Gloucester County coffee company is unlike any other. In a world full of places to buy coffee beans, you would be hard-pressed to find more love going into each bag than at Holy Grounds Coffee.
"That's what this coffee's about," Lisa Ann George said.
Holy Grounds Coffee is a project of St. John of God Community Services in Westville.
The clients here have special needs and many were working before COVID hit. But keeping a business running in a pandemic is hard, some companies were forced to make cuts.
The nonprofit had to come up with new employment opportunities for those in need.
Jason McMullen runs the roasting machine. The coffee beans arrive green and with the push of a few buttons they're roasted to the right flavor.
Workers label and fill bags for orders and keep track of inventory.
"Our clients have been involved in every piece of the process," Brother Thomas Osorio said.
Holy Grounds Coffee is booming. Some online orders have come from as far away as Canada.
"It makes me feel happy that I get to see my customers happy and I can see my coworkers being happy," assistant roaster Jason McMullen said.
Holy Grounds employs 50 clients of St. John of God Community Services, all adults.
"It's very rewarding that we have this job. We know we're going to have a job forever," Matt Serock said.
And so this coffee initiative started off with roasting beans, but what it's actually doing is it's changing lives.
To order from Holy Grounds Coffee, click here.