A cup of coffee can not only be lucky, but also sew up the distance of society.

Professional barista communication, please pay attention to coffee workshop (Weixin Official Accounts cafe_style )

Walking along Xalteva Street towards the central square, we hoped to find a quiet and cool space where we could rest and have a cup of coffee, but unexpectedly found the most ideal place to welcome visitors with open arms compared to the hot and noisy streets outside, and we were inspired to think further about how to promote urban diversity and integration.

Where: Cafe de las Sonrisas

City: Granada, Nicaragua.

Billed as "the first coffee shop in the Americas and the fourth in the world to be run entirely by dumb people," it hopes to break down barriers that this group faces when trying to enter the workplace.

This cafe is located close to important local roads, located in the city center, convenient for residents and office workers to enjoy coffee, breakfast, lunch, or as a business meeting place.

This storefront belongs to Tio Antonio Centro Social, a non-profit professional employment center in Nicaragua. It was established for two main purposes:

1. Create jobs for people who have difficulty entering the workplace

Second, provide consumers with high quality products

The centre also includes a hammock workshop full of colour and creativity, where high-quality hammocks are designed, manufactured and sold daily, and a hammock can be customised to individual needs in just two days.

In addition to the opportunities created by the café and hammock workshops, the Centre supports the mute in many ways, including education, medical care, childcare, women's care and empowerment, and social networking.

How can I order without talking?

From the sidewalk, we could clearly see the lively murals and colorful hammocks, so we left the noisy street and went to the quiet shop to enjoy coffee.

As soon as we walked into the cafe, the waiter greeted us, and we took a moment to feel the silence and browse the menu. Within minutes of entering the cafe, I found that the center really took care of communication needs.

For example, each product and ingredient listed in the menu is presented in English/Spanish in a concise manner, sign language guides are available at each table, and large, colorful murals are painted on the walls next to the seating area to demonstrate basic sign language for communicating with waiters.

With pictures and simple gestures, you can easily order items on the menu and change your personal needs.

Did you find anything? Sign language teaching murals on the wall (photo source: ugacostaricablog)

After browsing the menu and consulting the sign language guide, we quietly ordered from the waiter for two cups of coffee and cream sugar. While waiting for coffee to arrive, we also looked around the center.

In a busy and noisy city, this quiet cafe is full of creativity and power, facing the beautiful garden of the open-air patio in the building, where hammocks made by the center hang, perfect for a cup of coffee and soaking in the sun.

Notices explaining the concept and purpose of the centre are posted inside and outside the cafe and visitors are welcome to interact with the centre, including interacting with people, drinking coffee, ordering hammocks or adding value in other ways.

Witness the birth of colored hammocks

The hammock workshop is right next to the cafe, so visitors can see all kinds of hammocks made for themselves. When people pass by the workshop, the craftsmen are friendly and willing to interact. After we try one of the hammocks, we can guarantee the best quality and comfort.

Walking into the hammock workshop is a visual feast (Photo: eat-bike-globe)

Looking back on this experience, I remember the coffee was delicious, the space was creative and quiet, the people were friendly and helpful, and the opportunity to learn and use basic sign language was refreshing, and I enjoyed supporting nonprofit organizations that broke down barriers to entry into the workplace.

As I left the cafe, I wondered what value this professional job center could add to the city and why the experience was so impressive.

Tio Antonio, founder of the center, said it doesn't really matter who makes hammocks and cooks meals, the point is that people can have jobs and smile and provide high-quality products to consumers.

Work is about dignity, partnership is about empowerment and creativity, and this centre is ideally located and easily accessible, not only to meet the needs of employees and consumers, but also to provide high-quality products and services that promote diversity and integration in cities and break down barriers in the long term.