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C

T ucked away from the hus- A Responsible Coffee

tle and bustle of the big
Journey
city stands a vibrant café
named LiLi Time Coffee. “In fact, I was shouldering a
Walking into it, you are greeted by the mission to establish LiLi Time,” Lily
smells, sounds, and sights of a typical told CTI.
coffee house: fresh coffee aroma, Lily Zhang, who is from Shang-
grinding beans, and chatting custom- hai, moved to Germany in the year of
ers. Except those behind the counter, 2000, opened a Chinese restaurant in
it is silent. Hamburg, and stayed there for over a
Perhaps LiLi Time is the only café decade. Though an outsider to coffee,
in Shanghai which employs hearing-im- Lily fell in love in coffee with the
paired staff intentionally. Attributed to booming coffee culture worldwide,
its great owner Lily Zhang, LiLi Time and she was very optimistic about the
has become home to one very unique development of coffee in China. That
locale. It is not simply a popular coffee was why she decided to devote herself
shop for the neighborhood, but more to this industry. In 2013, Lily went
meaningfully a place that works to back to her hometown and began her
support deaf people on all sides. coffee journey.
It did not start out easy. “My Photo / Jo Hilton
husband gave up his job for me as
general manager in a Michelin restau-
rant, which was an oldest coffee house
in Hamburg.” Lily recalled, “we came
back to China and started from
scratch.” It took two years for her
husband to study coffee skills certi-
fied by Specialty Coffee Association
(SCA). Since then he has been sup-
porting Lily’s business for the part of Closing Your Silent World, society, people who should be given
coffee roasting. Opening Our Illumed World chances in their lives.
Five years ago, before LiLi Time In a bid to break down the invis-
was born, Lily was running another On the wall of LiLi Time writes a ible barrier between baristas and
coffee shop. It was not until one day sentence: Love Is Life Illumed. It is how customers, the coffee shop is filled
that she met a deaf customer who the name of LiLi came from. “We believe with photos and special layout to make
made her realize how great talent was that if someone’s life is illuminated, he it easier for guests
hidden inside this group of people. or she must be surrounded by love. to place their or-
She felt that something deep in her There is love and only love which can ders. For example, Their gifts should
heart was touched, driving her to get light up our lives.” Lily shared her idea, the menu comes
close and to know these people who “this is the soul of LiLi Time and what with hand-painted be discovered. Their
were hearing-impaired. it aims to deliver to all people.” patterns and graph- desires should be
“Their gifts should be discov- Out of a total of six staff members, ic sign languages so
ered. Their desires should be con- four are deaf. They move freely in the customers can learn concerned. Their
cerned. Their lives should be seen.” how to sign what
One of the public service activites bar counter, kitchen, and outside seating
hold in Lili Time Coffee: Edward Bearing with this mission, Lily estab- zone, behaving just as a good team. More they want. Those lives should be seen.
Zhao’s Graffii with Kids lished LiLi Time in May 2019, and was than baristas and waiters, their roles employees who are
committed to doing a great job with change according to the activities held hearing-impaired
her team. “Strictly speaking, LiLi in the café. To Lily, it is of critical im- would wear badges with sign languag-
Time is not a store. It is a brand born portance to empower people with a es which convey a message that they
out of love.” disability, people who are vulnerable in have difficulty in hearing.

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