Most Asians wouldn’t know the difference between Arabica, Liberica and Robusta coffee beans. But that doesn’t stop them from enjoying a cup or two to perk up their day. Whether it’s latte, Americano, cafe au lait, macchiato, or cappuccino, a freshly made cuppa always hits a sweet spot.  

I acquired my first taste for coffee in my early 20s as an advertising junior copywriter whose first account was Nescafe. It opened doors to a whole new world of coffee-enriched experiences for me, both as a budding writer and as a novice coffee drinker. A few holiday trips to Italy and France years later further deepened my interest in coffee. After a career in advertising, I became a freelance writer for various media publications. As fate would have it, I was commissioned to write numerous stories with coffee as a central subject, amongst which the closest to my heart were those that delved into coffee’s impact on social and environmental issues.

The story of Bettr Barista is particularly memorable to me. Singapore’s homegrown social entreprise prides itself of being “a professional coffee academy, social business, coffee retailer, a youth development organisation and social wellness advocates – all taken together in a single sip through the world’s most universally consumed beverage.”

I still remember meeting Bettr Barista’s founder Pamela Chng for an arranged interview. The first thing that hit me when I walked through the doors of the academy was a delightful whiff of roasted coffee. Pamela was in her element in that sunlit café-style room surrounded by coffee beans, espresso machines, grinders, brewing accessories, mugs and cups.  

After spending an early career in advertising and the digital world, Pamela gravitated towards coffee for its ability to present a meaningful platform for business and society to interact.  

What got the trailblazing entrepreneur into coffee was her belief that “a simple cup of coffee can bring people together, foster camaraderie, grow communities, and empower.” 

Pamela’s journey began with Bettr Barista Coffee Academy, which has evolved over thousands of cups of coffee since its establishment in 2011. 

She had two goals. First, to upskill and empower the underprivileged to be baristas by arming marginalised women and at-risk youth with the skills and tools to make their lives better. Second, to lift the overall coffee standards in Singapore by producing better baristas and coffee professionals.

She may not know it then, but the seed of Bettr Barista was planted years ago when Pamela tasted her first cup of really good coffee in Melbourne, where she studied and lived for a few years.  

When she returned home to Singapore, she craved a cup of good coffee and was disappointed there was no place that offered decent java like the ones she got used to in Melbourne. This realisation led to a tangible, action-based vision that has become much bigger than she could have imagined. 

“I wanted to do something that was related to coffee. There were very few places in Singapore because at the time the baristas were not properly trained to make a good cup of coffee,” says the certified barista and trainer.

Instead of opening a café, she reckoned the only way to dramatically improve the prevailing conditions then was to skill up the entire industry. But first she had to be equipped. She enrolled in coffee courses in Australia, the USA and Italy as well as had conversations with industry sources. 

It was imperative to go back to basics, learning and understanding the journey of a barista from square one, so she could better provide proper training to those who would eventually sign on at Bettr Barista coffee academy. 

A barista (Italian for bartender) is usually a coffeehouse owner or employee who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks. Men have always predominantly occupied the job. Women baristas were totally unheard of at the time, well, at least in Singapore.

Pamela had to hurdle the gender bias when many contended training disadvantaged women baristas was just teaching them how to make coffee. 

But that’s not it at all, she asserts. Educating students, who are not well educated, to understand the whole coffee concept and culture, learn the skills and then specialise in specialty coffee takes time. 

Training is intensive and immersive. Students have to learn about coffee beans, roasting, brewing, espresso machines, grinders, accessories, cups, recipes and jargons (cappuccino, latte, ristretto, espresso, etc) and proper serving. 

The whole point is not just to give them a skill. It’s also to ensure that with that skill they are doing something productive with it, able to stay in and keep the job, Pamela further stresses.

In the first two-three years from its inception, Bettr Barista had an average of 3-4 intakes a year, trained 33 students (ages 15 – 50), and about 80% of its first graduates found jobs immediately. 

Today, it enjoys a reputation as Asia’s premiere academy. Training and foundational courses have expanded. It even offers periodic coffee appreciation and lifestyle workshops for enthusiasts. And at the heart of all these are social programmes that embody Pamela’s vision.

Over the course of 10 years Bettr Barista’s social programmes have delivered 35 intakes clocking 34,020 hours of training with a value of S$1.2 million invested in training its graduates, and impacted 156 dependents. The cumulative income of its graduates earned was S$4.8 million.

Moreover, it has supported community campaigns including collaborative work with “I Am” campaign to raise funds for cervical cancer awareness, and vaccinations in Singapore and Rwanda. 

It has also coached over 5,850 people from 30 countries (from Australia to Zimbabwe) in over 1,300 courses and workshops.

Pamela further connects with coffee lovers through a range of curated experiences that include retail, brew bars at select locations, setting up mobile coffee brew bars at large-scale events, coffee appreciation hours and team-building workshops. 

Now under the umbrella Bettr Group overseeing the coffee academy and retail, it hires and trains individuals with mental health issues and who fall within “persons with disabilities” by Singapore’s definition as well as outside of (those with OCD, anxiety and depression) and makes adjustments to their roles and training as required. It has about 65% females on its team.

Pamela has led the company to become the first Certified B Corporation in Singapore. The passionate problem-solver is also the first Singaporean on the Board of Directors of the global Specialty Coffee Association. 

Despite the tough two years of Covid-19 pandemic, Pamela has remained true to her vision and mission.  

In its 2021 Annual Report, Pamela wrote: “The team has gone through firestorms and torrential rains the past 2 years, and it has only strengthened our resolve to focus on continuing to drive financial sustainability while creating social impact through all dimensions of our business […] The toughest steel is forged in the hottest fire, and we are building the foundations of our next decade with this reforged steel.” 

You may not be able tell the difference between Arabica, Liberica and Robusta coffee beans. But trust Bettr Barista-trained baristas to fix your caffeine craving with a cupful of goodness. Iced latte, anyone?

Debbie | ws 

Images: Bettr Barista | Bettr Impact | Bettr Coffee Experiences |  Bettr Social Change