Joyce Kruesopon was impressed with the people she met at Casters Coffee, the nonprofit coffee maker that is changing lives of homeless individuals, and was making a bid to provide its premium dark roast coffee in Morrison’s café at the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
Joyce, a Morrison regional vice president, visited the organization’s warehouse and witnessed firsthand the dedication and hope exuded by the team members.These individuals have found not just a job but a new sense of purpose and hope. 
Joyce helped put Casters on the fast track to becoming a Morrison vendor, and since December 2023, it has been one of two coffee suppliers at the hospital. One of the busiest public hospitals in the Western United States, Los Angeles General has plenty of medical personnel to give Casters a lot of business. There are approximately 1,500 physicians, 3,000 nurses, and 1,000 medical residents working there.
In the summer months, Caster’s supplies and sells approximately 300 pounds of coffee each month, which is roughly 4,800 cups of coffee daily. Joyce sees this partnership as an opportunity to support the local community.
“We believe in giving back to our community in meaningful ways. We’ve found an ideal partnership with Casters Coffee that shares our values and allows us to make a positive impact on those in need.” She adds, “The resilience and determination of individuals at Casters Coffee inspired me. I am confident that our partnership will help people get off the streets and create a brighter future for our community….one cup at a time”
How Did This Happen?
Co-founded by singer-songwriter Yongsuk (Jesse) Lee, Caster’s employees are recruited from encampments of unhoused people and shelters in Lancaster, Calif., about 70 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.
After visiting the shelter to perform his music, Lee began meeting residents and sought ways to help them. Upon learning that many employers usually won’t hire homeless people, the group decided in 2019 to create jobs by starting a coffee company.
Once some of its homeless residents were trained to roast coffee, Casters began serving its product at a local farmer’s market and some government-sponsored events. But when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closing of many locations in 2021, operations faltered.
Undeterred, in 2023, Lee contacted the Los Angeles County Health Department to ask about serving coffee at the Los Angeles General and was put in contact with Kruesopon. After visiting the group’s operations, Joyce invited them to bring their coffee and present at Morrison’s annual regional meeting in Palm Springs.
The meeting was a turning point for Casters. Food service directors at other hospitals tasted the coffee, a blend consisting of dark chocolate and nutty flavors from beans brought in from Brazil and Peru. They also heard from Lee about the obstacles faced by the homeless. Since then, Casters has also begun serving its coffee at Long Beach Memorial Care Medical Center and Antelope Valley Medical Center, two other Morrison accounts.
They also provide coffee to Exodus Recovery Safe Landing, a five-building interim housing campus operated by Los Angeles County for the homeless, where Morrison also provides foodservice.
How Morrison Has Made Casters Viable
With Morrison as its first major client, Casters has grown with four full-time and two part-time employees. This partnership also allowed them to create a three-month job training program. It was the kickstart needed by the nonprofit dedicated to creating jobs for the homeless. Lee recalls his vision for getting a contract at the hospital as the key to his organization’s success.
“I was driving on I-10 by the hospital and imagined, ‘What if every coffee cup in the hospital created a job for someone?’. I thought it could make a difference for us and committed all our resources to sell our coffee there.”
In addition to selling coffee, Lee is working with one Morrison hospital to potentially provide foodservice jobs for Caster’s clientele.
Lee says Antelope Valley Hospital has agreed to consider Caster’s three-month training program graduates as possible employees. The training consists of food handling and skills in personal communications, computers, and coffee production.
Kruesopon’s role in Casters fledgling success cannot be understated. Not only was she instrumental in signing Caster’s to provide coffee service, but she has also helped promote the organization in the local news media by contacting the local CBS-TV affiliate.
This decision Caster has not only grown their business but paid off in other ways. Megan Blick, Systems Director of Dining Services at Los Angeles General, says hiring Casters has grown their business and benefitted the hospital and the community.
“This is a leading example of how we can use our corporate resources to have a tremendous impact on society,” she says. “It’s a social cause that our regional leadership believes in.”
