The target audience includes postgraduate students of entrepreneurship, social studies and management, as well as individuals attending short courses and learning programmes in social entrepreneurship and social enterprise.At the end of the case discussion, students should be able to:
describe the process of starting and growing a social enterprise addressing a small, marginalised group, given the duality of addressing social and economic missions;
evaluate how social enterprises effectively navigate the triple bottom line to achieve sustainability;
assess the different dimensions of the social entrepreneurial ecosystem in facilitating the success of social enterprises;
judge the complexity of internationalising social enterprises through a consideration of the balancing of the management of global social impact with the challenges of global contexts; and
determine the potential of social franchising as an alternative approach for the growth and expansion of social enterprises.
Gary Hopkins believed in the power of coffee to transform people’s lives. I Love Coffee, a South African coffee roastery and shop, had grown from a bold idea into a thriving social enterprise, empowering the Deaf community through training and employment. From the outset, he believed that I Love Coffee should be a sustainable business that made an impact. Now, nearly nine years into the venture in April 2025, Hopkins, its chief executive officer (CEO), had a vision of big growth. The expansion into the UK was part of this, with Hopkins seeking to develop a social franchise model that could be replicated in other countries too. However, he faced several key challenges. I Love Coffee was not attracting the attention of big funders, and navigating the cultural, legal and banking issues associated with expansion had proven to be complicated. Designed to teach social entrepreneurship in marginalised communities, the case study poses the following critical questions: How could I Love Coffee scale production while continuing to train and support employees from the Deaf community? What strategies would ensure the business could effectively manage larger operations, geographically spread? Crucially, could I Love Coffee grow without compromising its founding purpose?
The case study offers contextually relevant insights into a range of relevant topics related to nascent social enterprises, social opportunities and innovation, as well as social impact and scalability. Moreover, the case study is intended to improve and deepen students’ critical reasoning and decision-making abilities and skills through an integration of theory and core concepts relating to the social economy, with a focus on social entrepreneurship and social enterprise.Positioning. Both social entrepreneurship and sustainable social enterprise are increasingly relevant, given the sheer extent and complexity of so-called wicked problems that require redress. Social enterprises in developed and developing economies are faced with the duality of having to ensure that they achieve social impact through delivering social value while simultaneously ensuring financial sustainability (Ciambotti et al., 2025; Urban, & Bukula, 2022).The case study, therefore, provides insights into the creation of sustainable for-profit social enterprises in the context of the marginalised Deaf community in an emerging economy. In particular, the case study focuses on how a social enterprise is created to provide employment opportunities for individuals from the Deaf community, thus enabling greater economic inclusion. Theoretical aspects of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise are further explored to provide students and practitioners alike with a fuller understanding of the specific problems faced.Alignment with Recent Developments in the Field. Readers of the case study will gain critical understandings of theoretical and practical aspects of social entrepreneurship and starting a social enterprise to benefit a marginalised group. More specifically, students will learn about the complexities of starting and growing a social enterprise designed to empower a marginalised community; explore and appreciate the context of the Deaf community and their lived experience; evaluate the dual imperative of social and economic sustainability; and explore the different challenges associated with expanding a social enterprise internationally.Integration with a Broader Knowledge Base. The case study provides a deeper understanding of the start-up process and sustainability, as well as the internationalisation of a social enterprise across marginalised communities. Importantly, students will appreciate the importance and relevance of for-profit models for social enterprises and different approaches to growth and sustainability.While social entrepreneurship is central to emerging economies, given the magnitude and nature of social ills in these contexts (Ciambotti et al., 2025), some attention has been paid to the internationalisation of social enterprises in addressing global social challenges while simultaneously navigating additional complexities of global contexts (Marshall, 2011). Earlier literature particularly spoke to how “… intersecting SE and IE can prompt a revision of the definition, boundaries, and levels of analyses currently used in IE research [and] how wealth creation in IE could be expanded to reflect the notion of blended value in an increasingly connected, fast changing, and complex global economy” (Zahra et al., 2014, p. 138). This critical juncture of social and international entrepreneurship is reflected through a close consideration of the case study.
CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
