You don’t meet someone who describes himself as a failure each day, but for 54-year-old Matthew Poh is clean in the introduction.
My name is Matthew and I’m a one -time bankrupt, twice divorce, three -time addicted and imprisoned 4 times; This is my origin. Literally a failure that failed most individuals who were around me.
Matthew Poh
But the self -proclaimed defeat turned a brand new leaf and is one in every of the 2 brains on the back Caffeine experience (TCE), a restaurant of social enterprises, which he founded in 2017 to help former Konvits in finding re -employment during reintegration with society.
Despite this, the mark stays a painful reminder for a lot of former criminals, and for Matthew and his team the trail to redemption was nothing but a fairy tale.
From lavish events to life behind bars
Matthew led a high life in the 90s, because his design company interior at the moment prosperous.
He didn’t expect that his life would hang down to the mercy of many disadvantages: from wealthy partying to getting to know the ecstasy pills by his then girl, who eventually became his first wife in 1994.
Things took Even darker turnover In 2013, when Matthew not only lost his mother, but his second marriage failed, and customers filed lawsuits for unfulfilled contracts against his company. It was then that his drug addiction deteriorated after introducing to methamphetamine, also generally known as “Meth”.
At that moment, he abused drugs for about twenty years and was recognized as bankrupt in 2015, which led him to take to finance his addiction.
Although he left the drug syndicate just a few months before how they were arrested by the police, Matthew decided to pay back in the identical yr. He spent eight months in prison and 4 months at home halfway.
It seems that the cruel prison life called him very needed as Forced loneliness He allowed him to re -merge with faith and become involved with other prisoners – the culmination of the stories, which ultimately constituted the mission of caffeine experience.
“The experience of caffeine began in a prison, in which most of my brothers inside claims that it is difficult to find a job when they leave the prison. Therefore, the idea of starting this business is to provide them with help by involving them in working without prejudices,” said Matthew.
“Nobody would trust us”
But why coffee? Why didn’t he restart his interior design company with other prisoners?
Matthew explained that, unlike baristas, licenses or higher levels of skills which can be “Difficult to pick up” They are needed to change into electricians, plumbers and interior designers.
This doesn’t mean that F&B roles are easy, but they’re more available compared. The required training gives them a likelihood to earn a living and I hope that he leads them to a brand new life with a renovated way of considering.
However, the primary nine months before the launch of a social enterprise almost Matthew threw a towel. He shared that yes “Zero credibility” Due to his criminal register and a few potential investors wouldn’t even listen to his proposals.
Fortunately, he received a 60,000 USD investment from his friend to open his first store in Tanjong Pagar MRT in 2017. He then received more investments than others around him, increasing the whole amount of investment to USD 150,000.
Return just isn’t easy
TCE cooperates with the statutory management of Yellow Ribbon and the Christian Youth Organization of Youth Guidelines (YGos), which recommends former Konwiy for a social enterprise and integrates them with working force.
Although it’s at the very least thrilling, Matthew arrange a fight to balance his social mission and make sure that business stays in perspective.
“TCE is conducted like SME, and what happens that when we want to welcome more former criminals under our wing, we do not have financial capabilities and resources to give them such a chance.”
He also emphasized that the stigma imposed on former conferences, like him, unfortunately still stays, and this led many to return to destructive habits.
Although it’s price noting that the general recidivism rate in Singapore for the 2022 release cohort was relatively low at 21.3%, it also reached the best level of drug perpetrators at 30.8%, in accordance with Singapore prison.
“Many times our brothers fall. They will be caught and we will write e-literies in prison to them,” Matthew said, adding it with a pastor and adviser, he’s there for his employees who need listening.
Ultimately, the choice lies in them. The most significant thing just isn’t to assess them for his or her selections.
We encourage them, and once they are outside, we allow them to join and help them restart their lives.
Matthew Poh, Caffeine founder management
Working with more criminals
Since the start of TCE, five points of sale in Singapore have been opened; However, the situation brought a drastic turn when Pandemia Covid-19, running a social enterprise to close all stores, aside from one.
Although this remaining mouth was “close to closing”, he was able to survive its employees.
Today, the corporate has improved its offer of coffee and food, even starting to smoke its own beans by itself. They are actually delivered to the office pantry and cafes throughout Singapore, opening a brand new stream of revenues for the corporate.
Currently, TCE has three shops, including in URA Center, the Host Scientific and Technology Agency and Star Vista, which is its flagship sales point. The latter occupies two units, one in every of which houses the Cat: The Cats Experience cafe.
Matthew said that after leaving the prison he loved cats, and he and his wife for the primary time submitted an application to open the CAT cafe in January 2023. However, because they’d only eight cats, their first attempt failed, since it was not enough to open the cafe of cats.
But when his escapades of King Karol Maine run 17 kittens to be born inside 60 days, the couple finally received a license to support Cat Cafe in November of the identical yr.
“[As of now]King Charles has two in -laws, 4 wives, 17 kittens, two grandchildren, six eunuchs and two slaves. Slaves are my partner and me – Matthew said with fun.
Looking to the long run, Matthew expressed his ambitions to the muse of the Baking Academy on the Dine-Ins and Cat Cafe summit in the near future, similar to Redemption Roasters-English chain of a restaurant, which goals to reduce re -order in the town by equipping individuals with practical skills in baking coffee, production and logistics.
It goals to proceed being a security network for many who re -enter society to prepare them for higher opportunities in the long run and welcome a brand new batch of former criminals in a social enterprise.
At the moment, nevertheless, the situation stays difficult. Matthew revealed that each corporations were on the best way to equalization, but saw the deterioration of the economic situation, which led to the deficit.
With a small team of 15 employees under his care and limited resources, he’s open to receiving funds for seeds for the continuation of the mission.
- Learn more about caffeine experience and CAT experience Here.
- Read other articles that we wrote here about Singapore startups.
