Triple Bottom Brewing provides jobs to formerly incarcerated, housing insecure

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — On a normally closed Monday evening, Triple Bottom Brewing was bustling.

Tariq Hampton was manning the bar and serving tables, while Michelle Berger was in the kitchen.

Both are members of the inaugural class of Triple Bottom’s The Future of Service Apprenticeship program, a paid 16-week job training and leadership development program.

According to Triple Bottom Co-Founder & CEO Tess Hart, this was their first real event to see what it feels like to manage an entire shift.

Tess founded Triple Bottom Brewing five years ago as a fair chance business, hiring people who are justice-impacted or housing-insecure.

With the apprentice program, she’s expanding the brewery’s reach, training people for other jobs in the hospitality industry.

Her ask of potential employers is that they guarantee the people Triple Bottom has trained at least $15/hour and a clear career path for growth.

Triple Bottom is a for-profit certified B-Corp.

They sought grants to run the apprentice program, putting the small business in a space traditionally occupied by non-profits.

Tess says she hopes more small businesses will do this kind of work, citing Philadelphia’s status as the poorest large city in America.

A job, she points out, can really change a life.

Triple Bottom Brewing | Website | Facebook | Instagram
915 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19123