For Sana Pishgoo, a good cup of coffee sits alongside a much harder-won second start.

“I’ve been told a lot that this is the best coffee on this street,” says Sana Pishgoo, owner of Shiraz Patisserie in north London. “I’ve also been told I have the best Iranian cakes in London.”

Pishgoo, 45, set up the business in 2021 and named it after her home city of Shiraz in southwest Iran. She had once run her own cafe there with her husband and young daughter, and was known for being the first woman to apply for a cafe license in the city, at a time when only men could do so.

That changed after her divorce in 2013. Under Iranian law, her husband was given automatic custody of their daughter and did not allow Pishgoo to contact or see her for six months. After a lengthy legal battle, and agreeing to forfeit any payouts from the divorce, Pishgoo regained custody.

Fearing future challenges from her ex-husband, she fled to the UK as a refugee in 2015.

“I was devastated by what happened, and panicked that it could happen again, so we left everything behind,” she says.

In the UK, Pishgoo accessed free training courses and completed qualifications in chef training, pastry chef work, cake decorating and sourdough bread making. She later got a job at a bakery in east London, but was laid off during the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Her bakery boss then recommended another free training program, this time in coffee making. Pishgoo joined a barista course at Well Grounded, a social enterprise that equips unemployed people for jobs in the coffee industry.

The course includes coffee-making skills, shifts at real cafes and the chance to apply for jobs through Well Grounded’s network of partner employers. It also points students to other career paths in the industry, including sourcing and selling coffee beans or becoming a coffee grader.

Pishgoo says the course helped her return to cafe ownership, using her savings and support from friends.

“I properly learned how to make coffee, but I also learned how to be confident as a business owner, and that if you have a dream, you can achieve it,” says Pishgoo.

Shiraz Patisserie has since become popular with local customers and London’s Iranian community, with Persian sweets including nokodchi chickpea cookies, kolompeh date and walnut cookies, and pistachio cookies.

Pishgoo is one of 1,200 people Well Grounded has trained since it launched 10 years ago from an east London cafe. It now runs training academies in London, Bristol and Leeds, with 77 percent of graduates moving into sustained work or further training and education.

The courses are free, funded through corporate and government support.

Founder and chief executive Eve Wagg says the organisation grew from her interest in coffee and a desire to link practical training with clear career pathways and community support.

The program comes as unemployment in the UK has been rising since 2022. Last December, it reached its highest rate in five years and is currently around five percent, compared with 4.3 percent in the US.

“We hear time and time again that our academies are a safe space to learn for people who may have been out of work or learning for a while, that it’s a really accepting and special environment where people can spend the time to figure out their next steps,” says Wagg.

Wagg says employers are demanding more from entry-level baristas as specialty coffee grows.

“Working within specialty coffee requires a huge amount of skill, and due to the current economic climate, people hiring an entry-level barista are asking for a lot of experience,” says Wagg. “With the growth in specialty coffee shops, there’s a higher expectation from the customer, too, especially with the rising cost of a cup of coffee. So from our point of view, this is a highly skilled profession, with a huge demand.”

For Abdul Hasib, 25, the route into work was also difficult. When his mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer 10 years ago, he became her carer, taking her to appointments, supporting her through surgeries and helping care for her afterwards.

That meant high school studies suffered and college was out of reach. Later, as his mother’s health improved and encouraged him to build his own life, Hasib found he lacked the basic skills to apply for even entry-level roles. He sent about 100 unsuccessful job applications.

His brother then saw a digital flyer for Well Grounded on WhatsApp and suggested he apply. Hasib completed the program last year and found work at The Exchange Hub in north west London, a community hub with a cafe. He now works there three days a week so he can still support his mother.

“I’ve been running the coffee bar on my own, which the training gave me the skills and confidence to do,” says Hasib. “It’s so community-focused here, and everyone is included. Even if someone is struggling financially, they can still enjoy what’s happening here and feel a unique connection with people.”

Back at Shiraz Patisserie, Pishgoo is developing Iranian and European recipes. Recent cakes include black sesame tea and tahini cake, and barberry and saffron cake, while her pistachio and chocolate ganache cake remains a best seller.

Her daughter, now studying at Oxford University, has asked for a mango cake for her birthday.

“I may not have the perfect decor, but I know my cakes, and my coffee, are good,” she says.

Read more from Reasons to be Cheerful.