A recent graduate of Evergreen Goodwill’s Barista Entrepreneurship Training Program will showcase her new cold brew and caffeine-free iced beverages at the Burien Juneteenth Farmers Market, highlighting how the Seattle-based nonprofit is brewing up career opportunities across the region.
Mary Hong (pictured left), who completed the program in May, will debut her own coffee booth at the market on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
She is among the latest success stories to emerge from Evergreen Goodwill’s hands-on barista program, which aims to equip job seekers with the technical skills, customer service training, and entrepreneurial guidance needed to launch careers in the region’s robust coffee industry.
“Mary is a force of wonder,” said Tony Phan, Evergreen Goodwill’s program coordinator. “She’s not just launching a business—she’s building a better future for herself and her community.”
The two-week training course is held at Evergreen Goodwill’s Seattle Job Training and Education Center and includes job shadowing at a mobile coffee cart, barista technique instruction, and wraparound services such as career coaching, free ORCA cards, and take-home laptops. Graduates often find work with local partners like Fulcrum Coffee Roasters, Boon Boona Coffee, Macrina Bakery, and Catapult Coffee.
But Hong is taking her career a step further. In addition to the Burien event, she’s exploring opportunities at other local farmers markets. Her long-term goal is to open a fully inclusive café modeled after one she visited on the East Coast—where people with and without physical disabilities work side by side.
The Burien Juneteenth Farmers Market will take place on Wednesday, June 19, so come on down a grab a cold brew from Hong, who is expected to serve throughout the season.
For more information about the Barista Entrepreneurship Training Program, visit: https://evergreengoodwill.org/job-training-and-education/sector-pathways/barista-careers/
About Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington
Evergreen Goodwill is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps people get jobs through free job training, education, and career placement services. Founded in 1923, the organization operates 23 nonprofit thrift stores and donation centers, five job training centers, and employs more than 2,000 people across King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and Kitsap counties. Because jobs change lives.
