Zera Café’s mission is to enhance the lives of neurodivergent adults through supported, meaningful employment in the food production and service industry.
We create an inclusive and empowering environment where talents are nurtured, contributions are valued, and individuals thrive in fulfilling roles that make a positive impact on the community.
Our employees prepare delicious ready-to-eat meals that are sold on our e-commerce website and cater small events. The word “Zera” is Hebrew for seed and reflects the vision of our social enterprise, that people can grow and flourish when they are nurtured and included.
Impact of a Job
Confidence, independence,
self esteem
Fundamental workplace
& life skills
Inclusion, socialization & opportunities to contribute
It takes a village
The Zera Café team has grown to include 20 neurodivergent employees, support staff, and dedicated volunteers.
community partners
meals donated to families in need
dedicated volunteers
WHAT’S COOKING
We are creating even more opportunities for meaningful employment and advocating for neurodivergent adults.
Lots of Lattes
With the invaluable support of Pigeon Café, Azrieli Foundation and Town of Hampstead, we set up a café called “Pigeon dans le parc” creating new jobs for 5 neurodivergent adults and support staff. This project provided customer facing opportunities, increased the workload in our headquarters kitchen and gave great exposure to Zera Café in the media.
Double the Impact
“Comfort Cuisine” is a project funded by Federation CJA in partnership with Chai Lifeline and Bikur Cholim. Zera Café supplies meals to families that are affected by illness and need the respite from meal prep. These meals create steady work and a meaningful benefit to our employees, who are often on the receiving end of support in our community – for this project they are on the giving end.
Investment to Scale
Zera Café was selected to join Upstart’s growth stage social venture incubator program which includes grant funding , professional development and access to a network of North American philanthropists and agencies.
Community Inclusion
Zera Café is generating awareness in the community through speaking engagements, kitchen tours, pop-ups and community partnerships which give our ND employees opportunity to shine.
Welcoming Our New Executive Director
We are excited to share with you that we have hired Sabrina Taran to join our team in the new role of Executive Director.
Sabrina comes to us with a decade of experience working in various leadership roles in the Jewish community and the broader non-profit sector. Sabrina is a graduate of the Hornstein program at Brandeis University, where she received her MA in Jewish Professional Leadership and MBA specializing in non-profit management.
In this new role, she will lead our organization in this next phase of continued growth and sustainability, while ensuring that our employees receive the optimal supports and opportunities to help them thrive in the long-term.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Zera Café has become an integral part of the community.
Supported Employment
Business Partners
Grants & Awards
Joseph Lebovic Charitable Foundation
Dr. Wolf Lebovic Charitable Foundation
Our fundraising efforts set up our employees for success and ensure Zera Café’s long-term sustainability.
- Job coaching and employee support
- Continuous training and development
- Adapted infrastructure and person-centred work environment
