Dear Juma Community, It is with great excitement that I share with you today that Juma has added a new social enterprise to our roster: Steep Creamery, an ice cream and boba tea store located in the bustling heart of SoMa, two blocks from Oracle Park in San Francisco.  This is an exciting development for Juma from a number of perspectives, which is why I couldn’t wait to share the news with all of you.  First and foremost, the addition of a new enterprise will provide much-needed shifts for Juma youth: we estimate that 130 youth annually could gain more than 100 hours of storefront work experience through Steep. Second, Steep is fully owned and operated by Juma. This autonomy will allow us to use the space as a learning lab for in-depth youth management and leadership training, as well as expose youth to entrepreneurship.   Like so many of the connections we have made over the years, there is also a sweet (pun intended!) story behind how Steep came to Juma: the previous owners were Juma Alumni Alvin and Angela who, after completing the Juma program and earning their respective college degrees, became entrepreneurs, got married and launched Steep. This year the couple decided to move to Sacramento and offered to sell the business to Juma as a way to give back to the organization. We truly could not pass up the opportunity, and are both grateful to and proud of Alvin and Angela!  Lastly, the fact that we are going full circle and returning to our roots is not lost on us. Many of you are already familiar with Juma’s founding story from 1993: staffing a Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop with youth so they could earn an income and build a pathway to a career. This was the very genesis of Juma—grounded in the belief that a job is more than a paycheck; that it can provide dignity, confidence, and a pathway to a future. Many years have passed, and there have been many lessons learned – but our belief in the power of work and its ability to transform young people’s lives remains intact.

Pictured: (Left) Steep Creamery, (Right) Juma’s Original Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop

Steep is located at 270 Brannan Street and is also available for delivery on DoorDash. We are open for business and hope you’ll join us soon for an ice cream treat or a delicious boba drink. Bring your family and your friends, share the news with everyone in your network, and help us savor this wonderful moment!   With gratitude, Adriane