Keriba Ged Program
Today we are excited to announce our partnership with NBA Champion, three-time Olympian and proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian Patty Mills. This partnership will see Patty Mills represent Bluestone Lane as an official brand ambassador and share his passion for the iconic coffee brand in Australia and the USA, as well as collaborate on innovative initiatives to improve the social and economic conditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.
“Keriba”, meaning “Our”and “Ged”meaning “Home” or “Place”, is a unique program that will see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have the opportunity to develop premium business and hospitality skills at Bluestone Lane locations in the United States. The Keriba Ged program will open up pathways to success for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to live and train abroad, enabling them to learn and develop valuable leadership, project management, networking, financial, communication and customer service skills.
Mills has used the routine of obtaining and consuming coffee as a social ritual to drive greater interpersonal relationships and bonds. This has been well documented through Mills’ co-founding role in the San Antonio Spurs “Coffee Club” and its more recent incarnation of the “Coffee Gang”. Patty Mills and his wife Alyssa have also been strong supporters of the local San Antonio premium coffee scene, supporting a number of artisan roasters including raising $120,000AUD from a 2020 Mother’s Day Coffee Campaign to support San Antonio’s Battered Woman and Children’s Shelter.
“I am looking forward to working with the Bluestone Lane team in developing their innovative Keriba Ged program that will create real opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Bluestone Lane forms part of my daily ritual and is my taste of home whilst I live and play basketball half a world away. It’s these memories and small reminders of home that play a big part of my success, connect me to my people and where I come from and drive me to achieve greatness.” says Patty Mills.
He adds, “What we do together will create a model that builds confidence and experience for a lifetime, equipping the successful applicants with valuable life and business skills, setting them up with the tools to flourish and succeed, which can then be replicated and applied across other global businesses worldwide and in their communities back home.”
“Patty’s values, what he is known for and what he embraces makes him the perfect Bluestone Lane ambassador to talk about the role coffee and community play in helping build human connection, experience and an opportunity to build a greater understanding of culture and issues. We admire Patty for his undeniable talent on the basketball court, his strong principles and incredible leadership abilities” says Nicholas Stone.
“We are inspired by Patty and how he has used his platform as a catalyst to bring people and cultures together. At Bluestone Lane we actively aspire to be a positive force for change and bring a better understanding of Indigenous culture in the US, we want to institute some of these high performance standings around how we operate as a business and how we can benefit people being part of these environments.”
Stone continues: “The Keriba Ged program shows our continued investment in making a difference that will positively impact on communities with limited opportunities in Australia. Strong alliances with Patty Mills and other partners who are dedicated to making a real difference, will pave the way for other businesses to adopt these ideals and practices for the benefit of all Indigenous Australians.”
If you would like to apply or learn more about the program, please click on the link below.
Please email [email protected] for questions or concerns.