On this last Founder Friday of the year I am quite happy to feature a coffee shop founder story that is firmly rooted in service to the community. First as a pop up at farmers markets and now with a brand new brick and mortar, today we are talking with the founders of Last Mile Cafe in Grand Rapids, MI , Arick Davis and Sarah Laman!
Arick and Sarah come with a lot of experience in non-profit and impact work as well as tech. Their love for coffee and people eventually guided them to begin Last Mile Cafe as a coffee business designed to make an impact through partnerships with charitable organizations and baking into the practice of donating 10% of all revenue to charities voted on by customers.
As of this recording Last Mile’s brick and mortar was only 9 days in to being open and things have just been getting better from there.
In our conversation we will get an inside look at how they built this impact coffee business, their reasons behind decisions that shaped it, and how they have experienced the journey from mobile to brick and mortar and the road that lies ahead.
We discuss:
- Leaving the corporate world
- Building for sustainability and impact work
- Setting out, pivoting and rebranding
- Learning coffee as a consumer
- Partnering with organizations
- To roast or not to roast
- Donating 10% to charity
- Pop ups, farmers markets, and learning service
- Next steps past 2 weeks open/refining
Related episodes:
- 106 : Changing Lives Through Coffee w/ Pamela Chng of Bettr Barista
- 192 : Freedom through Coffee w/ Esther Hope-Gibbs of Manumit Coffee
- 180 : A Conversation with Rugid Grind Founders, Brian Washington and Averett Barksdale
- 139 : Founder Friday w/ Kusanya Cafe Co-Founder, Phil Sipka
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