Welcome to another Cafes That Are Killing It episode!
Coming to you from Surry Hills in Sydney is an awesome responsible cafe – Kwila! We spoke to Kwila’s co-owner Mel about everything this cafe is doing to create positive impacts on the environment and the community.
Kwila’s ‘responsible-ness’ first began with a discount on reusable cups. Becoming part of the reusable cup movement was the first step, and they were not afraid to communicate this mission with people. From there, the team analysed everything that makes up a coffee shop, from packaging to coffee to milk, and identified where they could financially afford to make the little changes that allowed Kwila to action its strong values. Mel explains the team at Kwila was dedicated to becoming active agents within the sustainability model and truly embodying transparency and equality!
At Kwila, they love the small actions that promote a collective sustainable future like encouraging customers to bring their own cups and to take their coffee grounds home. To this Sydney cafe, being a responsible cafe means so many things like looking at supply chains, interacting with customers and communicating messages, a personal determination to see social and environmental justice and a sense of activism – and these values have delivered what Kwila is now!
Kwila has a strong connection to Papua New Guinea. It is where Mel’s husband and co-owner are from, meaning a strong personal and cultural tie. But it is also part of their overall sustainability mission to connect Australia to Papua New Guinea which is our closest neighbour and our closest coffee growing region. Kwila shines a light on Papua New Guinea through their own independent coffee roasting company which sources from ecologically & socially focused coffee producers. They are building direct coffee trade relationships in Papua New Guinea which not only provides amazing quality coffee, but significantly brings down the miles on this commodity. Core to the Kwila mission is customers sharing this journey and having the opportunity to support a social coffee partnership with Australia’s closest neighbour.
Check out our chat with Kwila co-owner Mel for more on this cafe that is killing it!