When Autistica first thought about creating Our World, 2030, it became clear that we needed to film at multiple on-site locations.

By 2030, we want spaces to be more accessible for neurodivergent people, and we wanted to film at a public space, such as a café, to highlight how navigating the world can cause huge sensory and social demands. In order to achieve this, the team at HEJ Coffee very generously closed their doors to their regular customers and let us use their location for a day.

Mathew Keech, Managing Director of HEJ Coffee, spoke to us about why he and his team decided to support the filming of Our World, 2030.

About HEJ Coffee

At HEJ, our philosophy has always been about sharing and being inclusive. Coffee shops have always acted as the social glue of a local community; they're a place where people come together for coffee and a conversation.

We are constantly looking for ways to give back to our neighbourhood, whether that’s on a local level or in a more global sense. We try to be good neighbours, not just through our Coffee for Causes range, but by being purposeful in whatever it is that we do. And so, when we were approached by Autistica with the opportunity to help by providing our café as a venue for the film shoot, there was no question about it; our answer was a resounding ‘yes!’.

How I heard about Autistica

I first heard of Autistica two years ago, when I ran the London Marathon. When I was thinking about entering the marathon, I knew I wanted to fundraise for a charity that didn’t have massive representation. I've nothing against some of the larger charities out there, but some of them seemed oversubscribed and I just thought about where my fundraising efforts could make a real difference; where I could get more ‘bang for your buck’, if you like. When found out about Autistica, I knew that by fundraising for them as opposed to some of the bigger charities, my money would go further.

As I learned more about Autistica, one of the statistics that I found startling was that only three in 10 autistic people are in employment. That number is so low. But with the right training and a supportive environment, autistic people can really thrive working in a coffee shop, be it through customer service work or at the roastery. Long-term, I thought I could make a bigger difference by supporting with training and getting more autistic people into work.

Coffee as a force for good

Autistica is just one of the charities that HEJ have worked with. Our coffee has always had a strong sustainability influence, and I think that's being borne by the type of customers that we've had in the corporate world. Our corporate audience require good sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility practices. That's put us on a path we've really enjoyed following because it gives us a lot of pleasure to do good. If we can make a difference and go home at night feeling good about the difference we make in our community, why wouldn’t we?

We are proud to be involved in Our World, 2030. If that meant that we could help Autistica reach their 2030 Goals by shutting our doors for a day, then there was no hesitation from us. It was an absolute no-brainer, as Autistica is a charity that we support and want to further support.

You can visit HEJ at their cafe and roastery, which is located in the heart of Elephant and Castle (SE17 1BA). Alternatively, you can find out more about them by visiting their website.