The President of LJMU’s student union has been handing out free coffee in a bid to replace Costa and Starbucks in the university’s cafes with the charity brand Change Please.
The brand invests 100% of its profits into helping people experiencing homelessness by training them as baristas.
Change Please coffee has been stocked within LJMU’s John Lennon and Byrom Street campuses since the summer.
Now, a wider rollout is being voted on by staff and students in the Student Life Building.
Miles Craven, JMSU President, said: “Change Please has come onto our radar over the last couple of months. They’ve won various prizes up and around the UK. They’re doing some great work across various cities across the UK, so it’s something we want to bring to the university.”
Machines inside the University’s cafes would need to be recalibrated to allow Change Please beans should the new brand win the vote, with each brand’s beans having their own individual makeup.
Shaun Johnson, LJMU Catering Supervisor said: “We just think the story behind the concept is really interesting. I think it has more impact than your top brands such as Costa and Starbucks, the story behind it appeals to more people anyway.”
“You will still be able to get the same drinks. Latte, Cappuccino, Mocha, it will just be in a different branded cup.”
The vote is being carried out by giving free samples to Student Life Building’s visitors, with them then being invited to vote by dropping a coffee bean into the cup labelled with the brand they would prefer to see.
Mr Johnson said: “Today has gone really well, and by looking at the vote it’s leaning towards the Change Please option, a lot of people says it’s got a really nice taste.”
Founded in 2015, Change Please began with a small cart in Covent Garden, before expanding to 10 coffee bars across London and launching their impact programme, ‘Driving for Change’ which delivers services including oral healthcare, financial advice and digital literacy training.
The charity has supported 214 people experiencing homelessness with barista training, with training programmes being provided in Manchester, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Birmingham, Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
