Education caterer Stir Food has announced a partnership with non-profit organisation SEND Coffee to supply speciality coffee across its sixth-form and further education college operations, while supporting employment opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Under the agreement, Stir will exclusively source coffee for its sixth-form and further education college portfolio from SEND Coffee, with the offering already introduced at Hereward College, London Screen Academy and Stanmore College.
The partnership brings together Stir’s education catering operations with SEND Coffee’s programme of training and mentoring, which supports young adults with disabilities in developing the skills and confidence needed to pursue careers in hospitality.
SEND Coffee operates as a speciality coffee supplier and non-profit organisation, providing training in barista skills, hospitality operations and independent living, alongside support for learners progressing towards paid employment.
The organisation’s wholesale business generates income to support its wider activities, while offering businesses access to speciality coffee, equipment and staff training.
As part of the partnership, Stir will serve SEND Coffee’s Shanee’s Blend and Katanda coffees across participating college locations.
SEND Coffee is also working with Stir to install and manage coffee machines, provide technical support and help catering teams deliver the new drinks offering.
The agreement builds on Stir’s existing involvement in supporting young people with SEND.
The education caterer already provides catering services at specialist schools and colleges, with opportunities for students to develop practical workplace skills through activities within its kitchens.
Deborah Batchelor, Chief Executive of Stir Food, said: “There was an obvious connection between Stir and SEND Coffee. We both believe hospitality can provide meaningful opportunities for young people with SEND, and this partnership gives us another practical way to support that.
“We want the coffee we serve to be excellent, but we also want to think about the impact of where we spend our money. By choosing SEND Coffee, we can provide a great product to students and staff while helping an organisation that is creating genuine pathways into employment.
“We already have young people with SEND gaining experience within our kitchens, so this feels like a very natural extension of what we are trying to achieve as a business.”
The partnership reflects the growing role of social enterprises and non-profit organisations within hospitality supply chains, where purchasing agreements can support wider employment and training programmes.
For SEND Coffee, developing relationships with catering businesses provides an additional commercial route to support its mentoring activities and work with young adults seeking opportunities in the coffee and hospitality industries.
Francesca Peak, Head of Communications at SEND Coffee, said: “Wholesale partnerships like this allow us to grow our reach, whilst generating the income that supports our work on our mentoring programme and across the industry. Just as importantly, working with organisations such as Stir helps demonstrate the critical role the wider hospitality industry can play in creating more accessible routes into employment and supporting people with disabilities within the industry.”
Stir Food’s agreement with SEND Coffee will initially operate across the three participating college sites, with further implementation planned throughout its sixth-form and further education portfolio.
The arrangement will establish SEND Coffee as Stir’s exclusive supplier for these operations, combining a speciality coffee offering with continued financial support for the organisation’s training and inclusive employment work.