Walking through the door of Chase Coffee Roasters, one can smell the rich aroma of home-roasted coffee that fills the air. But what stands out even more is the warm welcome from baristas who are not only passionate about their craft but also breaking barriers in the workforce.

The Fullerton café actively hires people with disabilities, offering jobs as well as a space where employees can feel supported and empowered, owner Anthony Palmeri said.

Palmeri, a former special education teacher, said he took it upon himself to help his students embark into the workforce. 

“I saw that there was a need for an environment and a business like this, and that’s why I created it,” said Palmeri. 

After 10 years of working as a teacher at Woodbridge High School in Irvine and simultaneously roasting coffee in his garage, Palmeri has created a business that empowers people in spite of their disabilities. 

Eighty percent of the workers at Chase Coffee Roasters are Palmeri’s former students. 

One of the baristas, Joseph Barboza, spends his day striking up conversations with customers and making iced teas, his favorite. Barboza also shared that making good friends with the customers is why loves his job.

“Chase Coffee Roasters isn’t just a coffee shop,” said Barboza. “I think Chase Coffee Roasters is so important to all of us because it can teach people with or without disabilities to find a right job and achieve their life goals. It’s a place where we can learn to have fun and be in a family friendly environment.”

In order to facilitate work tasks, as many employees often have a hard time reading, Palmeri developed an entire visual support system to aid the baristas. This includes menus with pictures, step-by-step recipe cards and a point-of-sale system with image-based prompts. 

“For instance, that’s the harmony hummus, and then the description for them,” Palmeri said, showing a visual recipe with detailed instructions featuring toast, hummus, cucumber and feta. 

The owner also said patience and compassion are key to creating a safe and inclusive environment.

“We do a lot of video modeling and repetition,” he added.

However, for many employees, this is their first time interacting with large numbers of people everyday. As some struggle with social cues or engagement, they have cue cards next to the cash register that aids them in these exchanges. 

Speed can also be a challenge for some of the workers. Palmeri said his employees were fired from their previous jobs at chain coffee shops for not working fast enough.

“Not here … You can work as slow as you want here as long as stuff comes out good,” Palmeri emphasized. “If we fail or you mess up and spill a drink, it’s fine. The whole point is to learn.”

Joseph Barboza and Chase Tsuma working as baristas at Chase Coffee Roasters

Other employees had never worked before joining Chase Coffee Roasters.

 “A lot of them after school were just sitting at home doing nothing but really wanting to get a job,” Palmeri said. “Going from zero social interactions to over 100 a day, I’ve seen so much growth with Chase. He’s grown so much, and I’m so proud of him.”

Palmeri has also created the Chase Foundation, a nonprofit that supports vocational and independent living skills for individuals ages 22 and up. 

“We work on independent living skills, vocational skills, and trying to get our students their jobs, either with me or in the community of their choice,” he said. 

For many locals, Palmeri’s mission may sound familiar. Before Chase Coffee Roasters, there was Able Coffee Roasters. After an amicable split with his business partner, Palmeri knew the story didn’t end there. 

“When we were Able Coffee, we had a huge following, we were growing a lot with that. I had to start over again with people realizing what my mission was,” he shares.

As for the name on the front of the building, the owner said there was never a doubt. Chase Coffee Roasters was named for Chase Tsuma, Palmeri’s first employee with disabilities when they were still at Able Coffee Roasters. 

“I didn’t name the coffee shop after me. I named it after my friend. He exemplifies everything — pure joy, pure happiness, and pure willingness to just try,” Palmeri said.