What Change Please does

Change Please is a UK-based social enterprise structured as a Community Interest Company (Change Please CIC, registration 9651207) with an affiliated charitable foundation (The Change Please Foundation, registered charity 1177958 in England & Wales and SC054107 in Scotland). Founded in 2015 by Cemal Ezel in London, the company operates an employment-first model that trains people experiencing homelessness as professional baristas and places them into living-wage roles, with wraparound services including housing advice, therapy, and financial inclusion support. Its training programme has cumulatively trained 1,167 baristas across 8 countries, with 42% of graduates having experienced street homelessness, and delivered 11,370 hours of living-wage employment in the most recent reporting year.

The commercial engine is specialty coffee, sold across four channels: a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer e-commerce store at changeplease.org offering six core SKUs priced £10-£32 (Welcome Guest rotating origin, Adventurous Blend, Tall Dark & Handsome, Happy Go Lucky, Cool Calm & Collected Decaf, and Muyumbu Rwanda), flexible subscriptions (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, plus prepaid 3-month and 12-month options), merchandise (t-shirts £38, tote bags £28, reusable cups £15), and donation greeting cards priced £10-£95 that fund specific services. Wholesale/B2B supply reaches corporate offices, gyms, restaurants, supermarkets, trains, and planes globally, with the premium Moonlit sub-brand targeting tailored wholesale audiences. Physical retail cafés operate at Cardinal Place, Borough Market, and Devonshire Square in London. The Driving for Change initiative runs repurposed London double-decker buses 5 days a week across 9 boroughs delivering NHS and oral healthcare, hairdressing, social support, digital and financial inclusion, and employment services, with Colgate as a named sponsor.

The business monetizes through DTC e-commerce sales, recurring subscriptions, wholesale supply contracts, café retail, merchandise, gift cards (£10-£100), and grants/donations to the foundation. All coffee is Rainforest Alliance certified and packaged in aqueous-lined biodegradable cups; the UK roastery runs on 100% renewable energy with zero waste to landfill. The company holds B Corp certification (2024), Carbon Neutral International Standard, and won Social Enterprise of the Year at the 2025 UK Social Enterprise Awards. Enterprise customers span WeWork, Google, Virgin Atlantic, Everyman Cinema, Nuffield Health, ISS, Sodexo, Compass Group, David Lloyd, and Moonbug, with the company operating across the UK, Republic of Ireland, France, the United States, and Australia.

Name

Change Please

Legal name

Change Please CIC

Website

https://changeplease.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Change Please is a UK social enterprise (Community Interest Company, founded 2015) that trains people experiencing homelessness as baristas and sells specialty coffee through DTC e-commerce, subscriptions, wholesale, and London cafés, with 100% of profits funding its employment-first homelessness mission.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Beverage Service (Coffee/Tea/Juice) & Refreshment Stations (HSACAGAJ)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee
• Coffee subscriptions
• Wholesale coffee
• Social enterprise
• Barista training

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct Coffee Sales: Online retail sales of specialty coffee products through e-commerce storefront. Products include whole bean, ground coffee in various formats and sizes. 100% of profits support homelessness initiatives.
2. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription model with flexible options including weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly deliveries. Prepaid options available for 3-month and 1-year terms. Provides predictable recurring revenue with customer retention.
3. Wholesale/B2B Coffee Supply: Supplying coffee to coffee shops, restaurants, supermarkets, offices, gyms, trains, and planes worldwide. Includes full hot drinks solutions with machinery, servicing, and training packages.
4. Moonlit Premium Brand: Premium coffee sub-brand delivering same 100% impact with more tailored coffee options for specific audiences, sold through wholesale channels.
5. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, tote bags, reusable coffee cups, and greeting cards. Donation greeting cards fund specific items like toothbrushes, hand warmers, foot warmers, and outreach bus fuel.
6. Grants and Donations: The Change Please Foundation (CIO) receives grants and donations to fund employment-first model for tackling homelessness. Donations page available for direct contributions.
7. Gift Cards: E-gift cards sold in denominations from £10 to £100, delivered instantly by email. Redeemable online at changeplease.org.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Change Please roasts and retails specialty coffee under its own brand to individual consumers through an e-commerce storefront, branded cafés in London and a subscription service. It also supplies wholesale coffee and a premium sub-brand called Moonlit to corporate partners and contract caterers globally, alongside full hot drinks solutions including espresso machinery, servicing and barista training. All profits fund The Change Please Foundation's Barista Training Programme and the Driving for Change mobile outreach initiative, which trains and employs people experiencing homelessness as baristas.

Product overview

Change Please is a social enterprise offering specialty coffee products alongside employment programmes for people experiencing homelessness. The core product portfolio includes six specialty coffee offerings: Muyumbu Rwanda (Farms to Futures), Welcome Guest (rotating monthly origin), Adventurous Blend, Tall Dark & Handsome, Happy Go Lucky, and Cool Calm & Collected Decaf. These are sold as retail products (£10-32) and through subscription services (weekly/bi-weekly/monthly deliveries and prepaid 1-year and 3-month options). The company also offers merchandise including branded t-shirts, tote bags, and reusable cups, plus donation greeting cards that fund specific services. B2B offerings include Wholesale Coffee and Moonlit (premium wholesale brand) serving offices, restaurants, gyms, and hospitality venues. Social impact is delivered through three programmes: Barista Training (teaching barista skills with 3-month paid contracts), Driving for Change (mobile outreach buses in London), and Smile for Change. The company operates cafes in London and internationally in the US, France, and Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Moonlit: Premium coffee brand delivering the same 100% impact with more tailored coffee options to fit wholesale customer audiences.
• Farms to Futures

Products and services

• Specialty Coffee Range Range of roasted specialty coffees sold to consumers and wholesale customers, including single origin, signature blends and decaf, with origins from Brazil, Colombia, Central America, East Africa, Papua New Guinea and Rwanda. All core coffee is Rainforest Alliance certified and sold in whole bean or various grinds.
• Coffee Subscriptions Recurring specialty coffee delivery service offering weekly, bi-weekly or monthly schedules, plus prepaid 3-month (Cool Calm & Collected Decaf, £30) and 1-year prepaid options (Welcome Guest, £120) with skip and cancel flexibility. Targets conscious consumers wanting regular ethical coffee at home.
• Wholesale Coffee Supply B2B wholesale coffee programme supplying offices, restaurants, hotels, gyms, transport and contract caterers globally with coffee cases up to full hot drinks solutions including espresso machinery (San Remo, Cimbali, Franke), servicing and barista training.
• Moonlit by Change Please Premium wholesale coffee sub-brand delivering the same 100% social impact with more tailored coffee options for specific wholesale audiences, sold through the B2B wholesale channel.
• Change Please Branded Merchandise Branded merchandise including 'Everyone Deserves a Shot' oversized t-shirts (£38), black tote bags (£28) and reusable coffee cups (£15), sold through the online store and used to amplify the brand mission.
• Change Please E-Gift Card Digital gift card redeemable online at changeplease.org, sold in £10, £25, £50 and £100 denominations and delivered instantly by email for consumer gifting.
• Donation Greeting Cards Greeting card products that act as donations funding specific outreach items including toothbrushes, hand warmers, foot warmers, compressed towels, bus fuel and hairdresser visits for people experiencing homelessness.
• Barista Training Programme Employment-first social programme training people experiencing homelessness as professional baristas through a 3-day workshop and a 3-month paid London Living Wage training contract, with wraparound support including housing advice, therapy, access to financial services and onward employment pathways. Operates through training academies in London (Peckham), Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin.
• Driving for Change Mobile outreach initiative using repurposed London double-decker buses to deliver vital services (NHS and oral healthcare, hairdressing, social support, digital and financial inclusion, employment help) 5 days a week across 9 London boroughs.
• Smile for Change Innovative initiative within The Change Please Foundation exploring new ways to create positive social impact for people experiencing homelessness.
• Change Please Cafés Physical retail café locations in London including Cardinal Place, Borough Market and Devonshire Square, serving specialty coffee and exclusive iced drinks to in-person customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,167 people trained as baristas across 8 countries since founding
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• San RemocoreTechnology or IntegrationCoffee machine manufacturer partner providing equipment for wholesale clients. San Remo machines are part of the full hot drinks solutions offered to business partners.
• LiquidlinecoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment and service provider partner for wholesale coffee solutions. Part of comprehensive service offering including machinery, servicing and training.
• Caffeine LTD.coreTechnology or IntegrationService provider partner for hot drinks solutions. Provides equipment and ongoing servicing support for wholesale clients.
• CimbalicoreTechnology or IntegrationPremium espresso machine manufacturer partner. Cimbali equipment available as part of wholesale coffee solutions for business partners.
• Brew It GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationCoffee equipment and service partner for wholesale solutions. Provides machinery and ongoing support services.
• FrankecoreTechnology or IntegrationCoffee machine manufacturer partner. Franke equipment provided as part of comprehensive wholesale hot drinks solutions.
• ColgatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor for Driving for Change initiative. Brand featured on repurposed London double-decker buses providing vital services to people experiencing homelessness. Sponsorship enables funding for mobile outreach services.
• Cabinet OfficeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Cabinet Office to develop an AI homelessness solution. Represents government-level collaboration on innovative approaches to addressing homelessness.
• Buy Social Corporate ChallengecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate challenge initiative connecting social enterprises with corporate partners. The Social Enterprise of the Year award win attracted interest from Buy Social Corporate Challenge partners seeking social procurement opportunities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pact Coffee: UK specialty coffee roaster with a direct-to-consumer subscription model and B2B office supply. Most direct comparable in product, customer and channel mix; differs on social-mission positioning.
• Grind: London-based specialty coffee roaster operating its own cafés and a D2C subscription/e-commerce business. Closest competitor combining roastery + retail café + DTC at meaningful UK scale.
• Square Mile Coffee Roasters: London specialty roaster supplying cafés, restaurants and wholesale customers. Comparable in product, quality positioning and B2B focus.
• Notes Coffee: London specialty roaster and café operator with wholesale and DTC channels. Comparable third-wave positioning and café-retail footprint.
• Origin Coffee: UK specialty roaster with strong wholesale and foodservice presence. Comparable product range and B2B go-to-market.
• Workshop Coffee: London specialty roaster operating cafés and wholesale. Overlapping customer base and product category.
• Caravan Coffee Roasters: London specialty coffee roaster with cafés and wholesale. Comparable third-wave brand and omnichannel model.

Emerging players

• The Brigade: London social enterprise bakery/café training disadvantaged people, including those with homelessness backgrounds. Closest social-mission analogue, although product (bakery) differs.
• Luminary Bakery: London social enterprise bakery employing and training women facing disadvantage. Comparable employment-first social enterprise model, adjacent product category.

Broad incumbents

• Pret Foundation: Charitable arm of Pret a Manger focused on breaking the cycle of homelessness through training and employment. Larger, incumbent scale player in the same mission category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/changeplease15
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/change-please
• Instagraminstagram.com/changeplease
• TikToktiktok.com/@changepleasecoffee
• Xx.com/ChangePlease

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Change Please