A growing movement brewed in Italy is sweeping UK cafes, allowing customers to add a ‘suspended coffee’ to their order.
A new St Andrews cafe is among the first in Scotland to join the ranks of coffee shops in which customers can buy an extra beverage reserved for someone who cannot afford to pay themselves.
Social enterprise cafe, Our Story, which gives its profits to charity and local projects, signed up to the phenomenon in response to demand from customers.
Owner Gillian Gamble said: “I liked the idea that someone could anonymously gift something to someone else.”
To avoid those taking up the suspended coffees having to identify themselves as someone in need, Our Story turns customers’ donations into gift vouchers distributed by local organisations, including Home-Start and Families First.
Recipients can then redeem the vouchers in the coffee shop without any stigma.
