Capital Coffee: A Life-Changing School Project

It was developed through a co-production approach, with the Todhill Wind Farm Community Fund (Larbert, Stenhousemuir & Torwood) decision making Panel spearheading a proactive use of community benefit funding, working alongside the High School and local third sector groups.

The project established a fully functioning social enterprise coffee shop within the school—a dynamic in-school training hub that provided hands-on barista training and real work experience to students from across the school community. Originally conceived to support more vulnerable students who might struggle with traditional classroom-based learning environments, the initiative aimed to re-engage them with their education while building stronger connections to their school community. However, the project's success meant that it ultimately created an opportunity to serve a broader cross-section of pupils.

Students have gained valuable employability skills such as customer service experience and barista techniques. The project also supported young people to gain transferable enterprise skills through exposure to the needs of running a live business, including marketing, budgeting, and understanding social enterprise.

The project was made possible through a distinctive funding approach that combined proactive ‘co-production’ – where a range of local organisations work together to design a project that will meet specific needs within their community - with traditional grant-making, receiving funding from two Funds administered by Foundation Scotland:

•    Todhill Wind Farm Community Fund (Larbert, Stenhousemuir & Torwood)
•    Falkirk Community Schools 2008 Fund

The decision making Panel for the Todhill Wind Farm Community Fund (Larbert, Stenhousemuir & Torwood), which is made up of residents from those areas, took an innovative, collaborative funding approach.  

Rather than waiting for applications, they proactively worked in partnership with Larbert High School and supporting organisations to co-develop the project concept from the ground up. This resulted in a £10,000 award in December 2022 towards establishing a barista training suite.

Following the completion of the project proposal through this collaborative co-production process, Larbert High School successfully secured additional setup funding of £30,258 from the Falkirk Community Schools 2008 Fund in January 2023. Combined with the initial funding, these complementary funding streams totalled £40,258, providing complete financial support.

Background to the creation of the project
Periodic Fund Reviews are recognised as best practice in community benefit funding within the Scottish Government’s Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Onshore Renewable Energy Developments. This process helps to ensure that Fund priorities remain relevant in the face of changing community needs and dynamics.

In 2021, through its comprehensive Fund Review process, undertaken by Foundation Scotland, the Larbert, Stenhousemuir and Torwood (LST) Panel undertook a systematic analysis of the Fund’s grant-making and community impact to date.  The analysis revealed that, while grants had successfully supported a range of important and impactful community initiatives, impact around improving life skills, education, employability and enterprise totalled just 6% of funds awarded, significantly lower than other themes such as community cohesion (33%) and health, wellbeing and safety (30%). This data-driven evidence prompted the Panel to consider how they could proactively address this identified gap in local employability provision, with a particular focus on projects that would support young people to develop skills needed for later life.

With youth employability having been identified as a key area for investment, the Panel agreed to ringfence up to £10,000 specifically towards initiatives focused on training and young people.  Recognising traditional ‘reactive’ grantmaking (ie. awaiting applications from local community or charitable groups) had not to date yielded suitable projects, the Panel took a more proactive approach.  

Co-Production Approach
The Panel began by examining successful models elsewhere, including the Bo'ness Academy Cafe project, which offered students opportunities to engage with all aspects of running a business, including marketing, finance, and HR. 

Recognising the complexity of developing an effective youth employability project, the Panel adopted a co-production approach, proactively engaging with key stakeholders to co-design a solution that would address identified local needs. This marked the first time such an approach had been used within the Todhill LST Fund. The collaborative development process involved multiple stakeholders, including Larbert High School, Falkirk Council, Developing the Youth Workforce (DYW), and local community organisation Keeping Larbert and Stenhousemuir Beautiful (KLSB). With support from the local authority, youth employability specialists and Panel members, Larbert High School was supported to develop the concept to a point of being ready to be considered for funding.

When the formal ‘Capital coffee’ project proposal was received in November 2022, the Panel discussed it within the context of their previous strategic decision and co-design involvement. Given the level of Panel engagement in the development process, it was agreed that Foundation Scotland would be asked to make the formal award decision based on a comprehensive assessment of the project proposal. This approach allowed the Fund to ensure that appropriate governance arrangements were in place, taking account of potential conflicts of interest issues, while recognising the benefits of the collaborative project development activities that had led to this point.

All involved agreed that an award of £10,000 would significantly help launch and support the Capital Coffee project.  The funding was specifically targeted at establishing the barista training suite within the school. This represented the culmination of an 18-month journey from identifying the local need, to co-producing a solution, and finally making an award that would benefit young people in the community.

Co-production enabled the Panel to move beyond reactive grant-making to proactive community development, demonstrating how community funds could work collaboratively with local organisations to develop innovative solutions to identified local needs that wouldn't necessarily have emerged through the standard 'open grant-making' model.  

Falkirk Community Schools 2008 Fund
Larbert High School subsequently secured match funding of £30,258 from the Falkirk Community Schools 2008 Fund, which was set up to support projects aiming to improve the lives of communities in the area through access to education and recreation opportunities.

Student Skills Development
The Capital Coffee project was designed to upskill a large number of young people by providing them with additional skills and qualifications to become 'work ready.  Pupils who took part worked through three phases:

• Phase One involved learning and working in the Capital Coffee facility to train and develop barista techniques and essential soft skills, including communication and customer care.
• Phase Two provided opportunities to serve at school events and work with members of the general public who use the building for evening sports activities.
• Phase Three involved being supported to complete work experience placements with local businesses in the community.

Throughout this process, as part of their formal curriculum, pupils worked towards SCQF Level 5 qualifications in barista skills, customer service communication, enterprise projects, health and safety, and event planning.

Impact
The project has served students across the ability spectrum, serving as a general employability training programme for the broader student body as well as particularly engaging those finding traditional schooling more challenging, equipping all participants with transferable skills highly valued by local employers.  Jo Wilson, Headteacher said:

“Our Capital Coffee enterprise has been truly transformational - it has given our young people real responsibility, developed their confidence and skills and created a vibrant hub at the heart of our school community.”

The training has proven particularly valuable for students who struggled with traditional classroom-based learning. Capital Coffee provided an invaluable alternative educational pathway. The hands-on, practical environment allowed more vulnerable students to build confidence, develop social skills, and achieve qualifications through experiential learning that might otherwise have been difficult to access. Many of these students found the real-world context more engaging and meaningful than conventional academic approaches. The school-based officer at Larbert High School said:

"I've noticed a positive difference through Capital Coffee with pupils who may have negative interactions with teachers and adults in and out of school, take part in truancy or are involved in antisocial behaviour. Capital Coffee has been invaluable in helping not only barista skills but also improving pupils' communication and face-to-face interactions as well as improving relationships with the teachers inside and out of school."

Student feedback demonstrated the project's transformative impact:

"Capital Coffee helped me a lot because it grew my confidence to the point where I got an amazing job at Costa Coffee."

"I built stronger relationships with the teachers and developed my time management skills and learned to think on my feet."

Once students completed their training at Capital Coffee in the school, they transitioned to supported work environments. There, they have worked with community groups such as The Pantry, The Food Bank, veteran groups, Strathcarron Hospice cooking groups, SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity), and PANDAS (Pre and Postnatal Depression Advice and Support) to develop their practical and interpersonal skills with the public.

Numbers to date
Capital Coffee has now trained an average of 70 students per year, with around 20 pupils gaining a Level 5 National Progression Award (NPA) in Barista Skills each year. Around 1 in 5 of these students went on to gain part-time employment in a barista role, but far more impressively 100% of students who participated in the project went moved into positive destinations beyond secondary school, having gained the necessary transferrable skills and qualities.

Wider School and Community Impact
Originally designed as a sustainable, long-term project that would eventually pay for itself, Capital Coffee has become a profitable business by 2025, managed by the pupils themselves with school support. The sustainable social enterprise model delivered significant benefits beyond individual student development. Now embedded in school life, Capital Coffee has become integral to the school's ethos and culture. 

Exposure to social enterprise concepts has broadened students' career horizons beyond traditional barista roles, inspiring interest in entrepreneurship, business management, marketing, and finance. With profits reinvested back into the school, the project has been able to expand, creating opportunities for more students to participate. The school purchased a second mobile coffee machine, enabling students to attend local events and creating further opportunities for engaging with the wider community. The school reported back:

"We now have a completely sustainable coffee shop run by pupils at Larbert High. It creates positive interactions between pupils and staff whilst developing lifelong skills, confidence and responsibility. This is an invaluable asset to the school which we could not have done without Foundation Scotland, the Todhill Wind Farm Community Fund Panel and the funding to get us started. We are very proud that we are now sustainable and can fully fund ourselves."

The project's success has also been recognised by external partners. The school has developed an invaluable relationship with local firm ‘Tapside’ in Bo'ness, who provide coffee machine rentals and catering supplies. Tapside said:

"We have been so impressed with the enthusiasm of the pupils, teachers and support staff -- especially the boys! Larbert High has absolutely trained the most staff and pupils out of any other school that we have worked with. The energy is contagious!"

Learning from Capital Coffee
The Capital Coffee project demonstrates the transformative potential of co-production approaches in community grant-making. 

Acknowledging the complexity of developing a sustainable young employability project, the Todhill Wind Farm Community Panel's proactive engagement with local stakeholders created a solution that neither the school nor the Panel could have developed as standalone entities.  

The success of Capital Coffee also highlights the importance of partnership working and joined-up approaches to employability support. The collaboration between the Panel, Larbert High School, Falkirk Council, Developing the Youth Workforce, and community organisations such as Keeping Larbert and Stenhousemuir Beautiful created a comprehensive support network that addressed multiple aspects of youth development. This coordinated approach ensured students received not only skills training but also pathways to employment and ongoing community support.

This collaborative development process ensured that the project was flexible enough to be tailored to local needs, whilst drawing on the expertise and assets already present in the community.

The social enterprise model proved particularly valuable, creating a sustainable business that continues to benefit students long after the initial funding was spent. By generating its own income, Capital Coffee has demonstrated how strategic funding can create lasting change rather than temporary interventions. The project's profitability has enabled continued expansion and development, maximising the long-term impact of the original investment whilst teaching students valuable lessons about business sustainability and social impact.

Locating the training facility within the school environment provided strong advantages, particularly for vulnerable students who might struggle to engage with external training programmes. The familiar setting reduced barriers to participation whilst creating a business-like environment to develop experience. It also made it easier to incorporate elements of alternative curriculum into the school day, especially for some pupils who found classroom learning environments more challenging.  

The Capital Coffee project illustrates how community funds can move beyond reactive grant-making to become catalysts for innovative, locally-tailored solutions. Through co-production approaches that bring together community knowledge, professional expertise, and strategic funding, it is possible to create sustainable interventions that address complex challenges like youth employability while building stronger, more connected communities.

You can watch a short film about the project, told directly by those involved here

You can read more about the Todhill Larbert, Stenhousemuir & Torwood here