The chocolate shop founded 10 years ago by a husband and wife to help their autistic son learn about the world of work has become a thriving social enterprise.

The chocolate shop employs 12 people, most of them autistic, and offers hundreds of young people with condition-free work experience.

Shaz and Mona Shah, founders of Harry Specter in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, told the BBC how chocolate had changed their lives, and several autistic workers shared their thoughts on the small impact. family Affairs.

“Incubator”

Life in their native Pakistan is not easy for Shaz and Mona Shah as they struggle to find proper support and education for their son Ash, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.

“In 2001, people weren’t really aware of autism and Ash didn’t talk until he was almost six,” says Mona.

Shunned by most of the school, things got “really, really hard”, and things came to a head when she saw the parents of other kids take their kids away from Ash, telling them he was “crazy”.

“He just wanted to be friends and he didn’t know what ‘crazy’ meant, we knew we had to do something.”

Through the UK Highly Skilled Migrants Scheme, Shaz, who is an engineer, was able to move to the UK with his wife, son Ash and daughter Mina, in 2006.

The couple got good jobs, “but we started to think about Ash’s next move,” says Mona.

By chance, she meets a chocolatier and, fascinated, she participates in a chocolate-making course.

“I realized routine and structured making chocolate and that too is quite an experience sensory“, he said, thinking it would be “perfect for autistic people.

He started making chocolate at home and Ash and his friends from the school for children with special educational needs enjoyed participating.

The couple secured funding and their social venture – Harry Specter – took shape as corporate orders poured in.

Social enterprises are businesses that have social change as their main motive rather than profit.

They move to what is now their factory in Ely, where everyone but them and the packing supervisor are autistic.

Looking at the statistics, Shaz says that they found that 85% of autistic people are unemployed, but 61% are more than anxiousa to work.

“There’s a misconception that autistic people need a lot of support, but the truth is that everyone needs support at the start of a new job,” he says.

“Many companies don’t realize how hardworking and loyal autistic people can be. They never shy away from their responsibilities and are always asking, ‘What do you want me to do now?'”

“Many people with autism are eager to find jobs that reflect their talents and interests, and have a lot to offer employers,” explains Richmal Maybank, manager of employer recruitment at the National Autistic Society in the UK.

“Small changes in the hiring process and in the workplace can make a big difference, as can having a basic understanding of autism and working with autistic employees to find out what works best for them.”

Shah immediately realized how important it was “routines and structure” make chocolate for your team.

“This can be very reassuring for someone with autism: If you do something you know and repeat, you can almost meditate (when you do it),” says Shaz.

Some of their staff started as apprentices and progressed to full-time jobs, giving them the confidence to move on to other jobs.

An autistic former employee was suffering from depression and barely speaking when he arrived. But when he left, he ran across the room to answer the phone because he wanted to talk to people, Mona said.

The woman is now a successful data analyst.

“We see this place as an ‘incubator’, building confidence and enthusiasm for people who have contributed a lot,” said Mona.

“This is my super power”

Chocolatier Greg Smith, 25, has worked at Harry Specter for about five years.

This starts with a work experience test and then progresses to a full time job.

“It was my first paid job,” he said.

He started in packaging, and is now a true chocolate maker.

“The journey they took me on was incredible it has changed my life“.

Harry Specter recently won a contract to supply supermarket chain Aldi with its chocolate bars, after appearing on a national television programme.

“When we got the contract, everyone was excited,” said Smith.

“I am so proud of every member of the team; without them, I would not be where I am today.”

“It really brings out the best in me, it feels like you use your disability as a super power“, he said about the company.

Smith works closely with fellow chocolatier Bruce Hall, 20, who first came to the company as an apprentice six years ago.

He was known as “the file boy”, because one of his jobs was to verify that company documentation was in order.

“Working in a factory is great,” she says, and one of the perks is “being able to eat leftovers.”

Office “octopus”.

Zoey Clenshaw, 32, is an operations executive. He is “autistic and proud… very proud (of it).”

He has been working in the factory for approximately 18 months and was recently diagnosed with autism.

“I used to be self-employed as an artist, but I felt like I needed a more stable job,” he explains.

“However, I really wanted to have a job, because I found that people would not make even small accommodations to accommodate me at work.”

“But here the story is very different.”

“I used to worry about coping, get stressed and angry, but now I thrive.”

“It used to give me a lot of anxiety, but now I go to trade shows and talk to people. It doesn’t mean the anxiety goes away, but here they say ‘okay, let’s find a way out’, it’s really a great team .”

Zoey has earned the nickname “office octopus” because Shah says she does “almost anything” besides making chocolate.

main signs of autism

• Difficulty understanding what other people are thinking or feeling
• Becomes very anxious in social situations
• Trouble making friends
• Come across as blunt or unintentionally rude
• Difficulty expressing feelings
• Taking things too literally, like not understanding sarcasm.
• Becomes very anxious about changes in routine

Water fountain:NHS (National Health Service in England)

The “Demolder”

Joseph Carass, 24, first came to the company in May 2019 for an internship and says he’s done “all kinds of work”.

This includes removing the chocolate from its mold “and making sure everything is perfect”.

His expertise has earned him the title “head demoulding” and he says the factory environment is “very supportive”.

“I have a lot of respect for the rest of the team: they make the chocolate and I open the moulds,” he explains.

“I’m working full time now, because there’s a lot of work this time of year, and I want to stay here, I don’t think I’ll be happy in another job.”

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