The confines of Bengaluru’s Mitti café are surrounded by warmth and love. Founded by 27-year old Alina Alam, this café stands out from the rest of the city’s restaurants and coffee bars for multiple reasons. The charm of Mitti Café lies beyond just its offerings and ambience. The team of ever-smiling and eager to help employees are all persons with disabilities. Keeping the vision for an inclusive world and workforce, Alam devised the idea for this cafe while she was interning with an NGO in rural Karnataka.
Today, Mitti has expanded to three different cities in the country, employing over 115 disabled people. The aim of the venture is to train, educate and employ more people from this community, giving them a chance at a largely self-made livelihood.
Beyond its initiatives, Mitti has grown into a tightly-knit family that has witnessed beautiful stories and relationships that were born out of this initiative. The team even celebrated the union of their core staff members, whose love story sparked in their Bengaluru outlet.
Nothing about the dining experience at Mitti is ordinary. From braille menu cards to flickering lights to signal employees in the cafe, the design and interiors are well-thought-out and are deeply intuitive not just for its employees’ disabilities but also for customers who visit their outlets.
The menu consists of healthy vegetarian food, with gluten-free and vegan options made available as per the customer’s convenience. Mitti’s initiatives don’t stop at that, the team also gives back to the community through a number of food donation drives and initiatives.
You can learn more about Mitti’s initiatives here.
Follow Mitti’s work on Instagram here.
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