We believe that quality, ethically-sourced coffee businesses can lead to a better life for the people of Nepal.
Our project has two important components:
- Training young people at our cafe not only as baristas, but also giving them benefits, life skills, and the support to give back to their communities.
- Our trained baristas then give back to their country by traveling to our partner villages in the mountains and helping the people there start up their own coffee business. Nearly a million tourists come to Nepal every year to witness the beauty of the Himalayas. But once they are in the mountain villages, the only coffee available is instant coffee. With international travelers creating a demand for quality, ethically-sourced coffee, we realized we could train the people in these villages to operate small coffee businesses. These businesses will help them earn valuable income to help transform their families and communities - sending their kids to school, saving for emergencies, and developing their community.
Who we are
Kairos Cafe is part of Five14 - preventing exploitation through ethical business. The best way to alleviate the poverty that forces people into exploitation is to develop businesses that give them opportunity. We are working to wholistically transform communities that have historically been preyed upon by human traffickers. You can find out more about Five14 at www.five14nepal.com. You can also follow us on facebook at facebook.com/five14nepal or twitter at twittercom/five14nepal.
We opened Kairos Cafe in March 2015 in Kathmandu, Nepal, just a month before the earthquakes that devastated much of the country. Through the challenges of recovery, we kept our doors open, at times hosting community rebuilding and disaster trainings, feeding hungry volunteers, and acting as a staging area for relief supplies.
Today, we are operating at a profit and serve as a gathering space for our community.