Re-offending rates among ex-prisoners in the UK are over 50 per cent. This can be cut in half if the inmates have skills and a job when they are released.
Max Dubiel decided to address the challenge. He co-founded Redemption Roasters and opened an industrial-scale coffee roastery and barista training academy inside the UK prison system. Then he and his business partner Ted Rosner set up a chain of retail coffee shops across London.
Learn how Max built a successful business training and employing ex-prisoners, on this episode of The Purposeful Strategist.
Max was born in Germany and studied at St Andrews University in Scotland. He worked in consulting in the city for 3 years (Accenture) and then ventured into the coffee business. One of the co-founders of Black Sheep Coffee Max spun out the wholesale business into a new company which eventually became Redemption Roasters. Redemption Roasters partnered with the Ministry of Justice to launch an industrial-scale coffee roastery and barista academy behind bars. RR now runs a 7500 sqft roastery at HMP The Mount, 11 coffee shops in Central London, has about 200 wholesale clients (offices, restaurants, bars, hotels) and runs 6 in-custody barista academies where they teach offenders coffee skills.
On release Redemption aims to place its graduates with their wholesale customers or in one of their own shops. prison-leavers are 50% less likely to reoffend if they leave prison with skills and a job.
Max Dubiel