Microland Foundation enables Mitti Café, a self-sustaining cafeteria managed by persons with disabilities at RMZ Ecoworld, Bengaluru

This initiative aims to create dignity through livelihoods and economic independence for adults with disabilities.

3 July 2023, Bengaluru – Microland Foundation, the CSR arm of Microland Limited, announces the launch of Mitti Café at RMZ Ecoworld, Bengaluru. The café will be entirely run and managed by adults with physical, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities.

Through the cafe, Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation in association with Microland Foundation will generate livelihood and skilling opportunities for persons with disabilities and create awareness about disability and inclusion. Microland Foundation has a diverse portfolio of initiatives that aim to empower and support people with disabilities through various projects. Fully committed to the cause, Microland Foundation actively engaged with Mitti Café to launch a facility at RMZ Ecoworld, Bengaluru.

Speaking about the café launch, Revathy Ashok, Member of the Board of Directors at Microland said, “It gives me immense pride to have Mitti Café in the heart of our neighborhood at Bellandur which attracts a diverse range of companies, including multinational corporations, software services providers, and technology startups. We are committed to employability and skill development to support diverse hiring and economic development that create conditions for everyone to thrive, and the launch of Mitti Café at RMZ Ecoworld is a step in this direction.”

RMZ Corp has been a longstanding partner of Microland Limited, providing valuable infrastructure support in designing and setting up ecofriendly buildings and office spaces. Speaking about the new Mitti Café at RMZ Ecoworld, Kalpana Kar, Trustee, Microland Foundation, said “We are excited about our partnership with Mitti Café. This café launch is yet another instance of our efforts to build resilient communities and create collaborative partnerships. We are grateful to the senior management at RMZ Corp for supporting us in this endeavor and providing a premium location at the newly launched Ecoworld 3.0 premises. At Microland Foundation, we are committed to fostering sustainable and equitable societal development through inclusive growth.”

In the run up to the launch of the café, Microland Foundation supported the training of 50 persons with disabilities to upskill them in the areas of customer service, cafeteria management, food and beverages production and culinary services. “We run a chain of cafes managed by persons with disabilities, many of whom come from low-income communities. Microland Foundation has supported us to provide experiential training for 50 of our newly recruited staff which has been instrumental in transforming them into confident individuals. We are thankful to Microland Foundation for their unflinching support to Mitti Café”, said Alina Alam, Founder & CEO, Mitti Café.

The launch of the event had a welcome performance by Mitti Cafe’s team of adults with disabilities including a rendition of our national anthem in sign language. They performed on the score 'Love You Zindagi' which resonated very well with the audience. The entire day was fun-filled and the interaction of the audience with the entire team of Mitti Café was heartwarming.

About Microland Foundation

Microland Foundation has been established as a dedicated social development arm, forging meaningful partnerships to conceptualize and implement projects that solve society's most pressing problems. A CSR Board of distinguished professionals bring deep developmental sector expertise and digital inventiveness along with dedicated employees championing our initiatives to form an advantageous and conducive ecosystem for the Foundation's operations. We are dedicated to uplifting and empowering lives with a bottom up and collaborative approach while promising long-term commitment to issues and sectors. All social activities of the Microland Foundation are effectuated keeping the community at the heart of Microland's CSR endeavors.

About Mitti Café

Mitti Cafés work towards economic independence and dignity for adults with physical, intellectual, and emotional disabilities and persons from other vulnerable communities. The organization’s outreach initiatives also help create awareness about inclusion and disability rights.

Mitti Cafés across India are managed by adults with disabilities who have served over eight million meals and beverages in the last few years, thereby creating awareness about inclusion with every meal served. Mitti Cafés are opened in partnership with and are situated inside corporates, hospitals, colleges, and now public spaces like airports.

Mitti Café has been the recipient of several awards and recognitions by the United Nations, Niti Aayog, The Commonwealth, UNESCO, The Times of India, Rotary and Tiecon amongst others for its impactful work, while Mitti Café’s CEO and Founder, Alina Alam, has been featured in the Forbes list of 30 under 30.

Media Contact

Dipa Sahu

Dipa.Sahu@microland.com