
Christian Dennis (second from left) and Quaker City Coffee Company.
(Courtesy photo)
“Around the Corner” is a PhillyCAM show that offers local social impact leaders the opportunity to share what impact their work is having on the Philadelphia area.
There’s been a push recently in Philadelphia to make it easier for formerly incarcerated folks to find employment. See: Clean Slate legislation and “ban the box” efforts.
Quaker City Coffee Company is pushing for the same: The profit-sharing coffee roasting business makes it a point to hire returning citizens. Bobby Logue of Federal Donuts fame came to his cofounder Christian Dennis in 2015 with the idea of creating jobs and “trying to change the way people did business with people with records,” Dennis said.
Dennis is one of those people, which is why he understands the value that, say, former drug dealers like himself can bring to a company.
“The guys that we hire, they already know how to distribute product. These are the type of guys we want to bring on,” he said. “Just because a guy got a record doesn’t mean he can’t be acclimated back into the community.”
The company officially launched this past January and currently has one Center City location. Partners include the Mayor’s Office of Reintegration Services and Penn’s Center for Carceral Communities.
Learn more about Quaker City in Dennis’ “Around the Corner” interview.
Watch on YouTube
PhillyCAM is Comcast channel 66/966 HD/967 and Verizon FIOS channel 29/30 in Philadelphia.
-30-From our Partners
On the market: 50 social impact jobs to get you going
Dennis and Lee Horton say their own grief and trauma helped them to help others
Peirce College launches accelerated degree to help Philly’s displaced workers through the post-pandemic recovery
Generocity Philly
Meet Kim Andrews, new executive director for The Fund for Women and Girls

Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project (YSRP)
Director of Development and Communications
Apply NowVetri Community Partnership
Chief Operating Officer
Apply NowReducing racial wealth inequality and preserving beacons of hope through employee ownership
PAR-Recycle Works continues to collect e-waste and transform lives at its new Hunting Park facility
Does your organization’s IRL office matter anymore?
Generocity Philly
Be the leader to bring a 26-year mission into the future in Chester County
Sign-up for daily news updates from Generocity
More Information