The Aubergine Café is the collective vision of a dedicated team of autistic adults, aiming to empower their fellow neurodivergent community through the creation of inclusive spaces and pioneering employment practices. In addition, the café is committed to providing the broader Cardiff community with ethically sourced, nutritious, and affordable plant based food. According to Aubergine: “Evidence based research shows that when we make a business autism friendly, we actually end up making it people friendly.”
Although Aubergine is for everyone, the main focus is for neurodiverse and autistic adults to have a space where they feel like they're safe, and at home. Accessibility and inclusion for everyone are essential to the ethos of Aubergine, as a space that helps to change the narrative and redefine what it means to be autistic in the eyes of the world today.
Every facet of Aubergine, from the kitchen and floor staff to administrators and directors, is composed of individuals on the autism spectrum. Their commitment extends beyond the autistic community to embrace inclusivity for those identifying with the LGBT+ community and black, asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) groups. In the UK, a small number of 16% of autistic adults engage in full time paid employment, and only 32% participate in any form of paid work. Aubergine strives to counteract this disparity by not only offering employment opportunities and training to fellow autistic adults but also by establishing exemplary models that can be replicated across various workforces.
Aubergine also frequently put on events, such as open mic nights, where a line up of excellent emerging artists and a headliner who is part of the neurodiverse community, perform to raise money.