From disability champions to ocean guardians: Change-making SMEs land $15k boost to accelerate impact

EVERY day at Foreword Coffee, Abdullah Al-Halimi Mohd Ferdaus gets ready for another day of learning.

Since joining the social enterprise in 2023, the 21-year-old, who has autism spectrum disorder and mild intellectual disability, has progressed from trainee to skilled barista, mastering both coffee-making and cafe operations at a workplace that recognises his abilities.

Halimi says: “I love that I have a lot of opportunities to learn new skills, and create new experiences when I meet with customers every day.”

With over 80 per cent of its staff identified to have a disability or mental health condition, Foreword Coffee promotes inclusivity while delivering a quality product.

Now, having won $15,000 in funding from the Xero Beautiful Business Fund (XBBF), it plans to set up a dedicated training centre to coach and mentor employees like Halimi.

This is the kind of impact the XBBF set out to achieve when it first launched in 2023, backing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their growth ambitions. Foreword Coffee is one of four home-grown SMEs that each won awards in different categories.

Koren Wines, managing director of Xero Asia, says: “The calibre of submissions we received this year is a testament to the ingenuity, perseverance and resilience of Singapore’s small business community. As a former small business owner, I can relate firsthand to incredible challenges and stress that come with running a business, particularly in today’s competitive environment.

“We’re honoured to have the opportunity to support Singapore’s SMEs in a meaningful way to facilitate their growth and innovation.”

Besides Wines, the 2024 XBBF judging panel included Singapore Business Federation (SBF) chief smart technologies officer Lee Yee Fung, 361 Degree Consultancy Group director Ken Leong and Chyau Fwu Wines & Spirits chief executive officer Vicky Hwang.

Serving coffee with a purpose

Individuals with disabilities may face limited job opportunities, but inclusive organisations like Foreword Coffee can help them find meaningful careers.

Winning the award for the “Strengthening community connection” category will help the social enterprise fund a training centre to enhance employees’ skills in different business areas.

Since launching in 2017, Foreword Coffee has expanded to nine locations across Singapore, and offers diverse services beyond its cafes, including mobile coffee carts for events and wedding favours.

“What makes this category especially significant is its emphasis on sustainable solutions rather than temporary fixes,” explains 361 Degree Consultancy Group’s Leong.

Says Foreword Coffee’s co-founder and director Nadi Chan: “We want our baristas to be their own advocates to show others that they can make great coffee as well as anyone else, or maybe even better. At the end of the day, people purchase your product because of the value or utility it brings, and not just because of its social impact.”

Recognising the social enterprise’s efforts, Leong notes: “Seeing how winners like Foreword Coffee have created tangible social impact while maintaining profitable operations challenges the traditional notion that business success and social good are mutually exclusive.

“This not only creates sustainable employment opportunities but also redefines societal perceptions about workplace inclusivity.”

Ocean guardians at work

What began as organised beach cleanups while working in Singapore eight years ago turned into a full-time venture for Briton Thomas Peacock-Nazil.

Since co-founding social enterprise Seven Clean Seas (SCS) in 2018, he has run waste management projects in Batam, Bintan and Bangkok with his team.

The company has removed around 4 million kilograms of plastic through its Plastic Credits programme. This initiative allows companies to offset their plastic footprint by funding ocean cleanups, which in turn creates employment for coastal communities.

Now, SCS has set its sights higher: removing 10 million kilograms of plastic from the ocean by 2025.

It has already developed innovative solutions like a solar-powered boat with a conveyor belt that extracts plastic waste from water. With the XBBF funding, SCS plans to enhance its capabilities by investing in new washing equipment.

Explains Peacock-Nazil, who is also the firm’s chief executive officer: “This equipment, designed to clean and separate contaminated plastics, will complement our existing infrastructure. We expect to process plastic more effectively, improving quality for recycling and reducing waste sent to landfills.”

On selecting the winner of the “Innovating for environmental sustainability” category, SBF’s Lee says: “Seven Clean Seas has defined a specific, tangible pathway to achieve its lofty goal, complementing its material recycling facility with equipment to accelerate efforts to remove plastic from the oceans.

“Projects like these remind us how much we need diverse creativity and clear-minded dedication to find innovative solutions to global problems. Moving ahead, we hope to see more private sector-led platforms that enable such ideas to flourish.”

Baking bigger dreams

Since opening its first store in Tanjong Pagar in 2014, Two Men Bagel House has grown to five locations island-wide. Now, the food and beverage company is eyeing international expansion.

Says its chief executive officer and co-founder Jereborne Lam: “To help the team adapt to new cultures and business practices, we are partnering with firms in targeted markets to develop localisation strategies and training our 50-strong staff in cross-border communication.”

The award will help them go further by funding leadership development for managers and equipping the media team with tools to streamline daily tasks. One of these is a customer engagement solution that uses artificial intelligence to identify customer spending habits and better match its loyalty programmes.

Chyau Fwu’s Hwang lauds Two Men Bagel House’s win in the “Upskilling for the future” category. She says: “As a business owner in the same industry, I can attest to how challenging the competition is for talent.

“Upskilling and investing in the team and promoting from within to meet its future needs is a key strategy for retention and, when employed successfully, can have a real impact on its ability to achieve its growth ambitions.”

Saving lives with smarter tech

When a friend’s elderly loved one went missing one day, Justin Zhang recognised the need for reliable location trackers to protect vulnerable people. This pushed him to set up Tack One with a team of tech veterans.

While initially focusing on GPS trackers, the company soon realised broader applications for its location technology. Today, its Tack EVO FloodFinder protects communities by providing authorities with real-time flood alerts via push notifications, email, SMS or custom alerts, enabling proactive measures and timely evacuations. Powered by solar energy, the flood-monitoring device is reliable and easy to deploy even in remote areas.

With the Xero award in the “Trailblazing with technology” category, Zhang and his team intend to bring this device to high-risk regions. He says: “Our immediate focus is Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, where flood risks are high and early warning systems are often inadequate.

“This funding will enhance our deployment capacity and strengthen our data-driven alert systems, equipping these communities with the tools they need to respond proactively to flood threats and reduce potential harm.”

Highlighting Tack One’s potential impact, Xero’s Wines says: “What’s really exciting about its flood monitoring solution is its potential to make a genuine, transformational difference to communities not just in Singapore, but also worldwide.

“Their journey underscores the incredible impact that innovative technology can have – not only in addressing immediate challenges but also in paving the way for meaningful and sustainable growth. It’s a powerful example of what can happen when businesses use tech to solve critical issues facing our world today.”

Learn how Xero can help small businesses in Singapore unlock their growth potential.