Portland, Ore. (September 12, 2016) – Supporting the local community will be a walk in the park this fall when Nossa Familia Coffee and p:ear partner to open a new p:ear barista school coffee window, with its grand opening on National PARK(ing) Day, September 16. At the retail window, graduates of the p:ear barista school, part of p:ear’s Job Training Program, will be able to hone their new barista skills while working in a retail environment. To celebrate their partnership, Nossa Familia and p:ear will host several events this fall, including a grand opening celebration on National PARK(ing) Day, the annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks. The space in front of the p:ear coffee window will host a temporary 8-foot-by-20-foot parklet, designed by the local architecture firm SERA Architects. Join the p:ear barista school to play, relax, and drink coffee for a good cause in downtown Portland’s newest temporary park during the grand opening celebration, 8am to 1pm on National PARK(ing) Day.
The p:ear barista school is a 3-year partnership with Nossa Familia Coffee and p:ear Works, the job training program which creatively builds avenues for homeless youth by providing meaningful job training and employment opportunities for personal and professional growth. The 8-week barista school, run by Nossa Familia Coffee, teaches the craft of espresso making, from milk textures to coffee sourcing and roasting theory, from customer service to money management and marketing. Every student that graduates the barista certification course has the opportunity to interview for a position at the retail window, where they can gain on-the-job experience to build their resumes and become more comfortable in that environment. Watch a video on the Nossa Familia p:ear partnership and its impact on Portland’s homeless youth.
“All of us at Nossa Familia and at p:ear are ecstatic that the p:ear barista school is opening their own walk-up retail window inside their headquarters’ gallery space. With this new space, our students’ connection to the Portland community becomes stronger, and that conversation with customers over a cup of coffee is now something that they get to participate in,” says Nossa Familia Head Trainer, Claire Whitt.
To continue the celebration of their partnership, Nossa Familia and p:ear will host a First Thursday Open House and free coffee tasting (cupping) open to the public at the p:ear gallery, October 6th from 6 pm to 8 pm. The gallery serves as a space in which p:ear youth and guest artists display and sell their work and where community members and p:ear youth engage in an open dialogue and appreciation of these youths’ monthly artistic achievements.
“We’re very excited about the opening of our p:ear barista school in partnership with Nossa Familia. It’ll be one of the best barista programs in town, and just a really great espresso bar in the neighborhood,” says Pippa Arend, Development Director of p:ear.
Friday, September 16th 2016 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursday, October 6th, 2016 6 to 8 p.m.