We hit our goal, and there is so much more we can do!

Thank you to all of our wonderful backers so far! We are so much closer to making 1006 Hall a reality, but as you might already know there are new barriers popping up every day between us and getting the cafe open for you. We need you to continue supporting our campaign to bring this vision of a more transparent and environmentally-conscious business to life.

10% will continue to go to charity, and all of the remaining funds will go directly into the cafe. 

Breaking down barriers, building relationships, and making the world a better place: Through coffee
 

We are Last Mile Cafe: a new black-owned and woman-owned coffee brand in Grand Rapids, Michigan committed to offering more than just premium coffee blends. We donate 10% of our revenue to charitable causes, and our customers get to choose which cause they want to support upon checkout. We are committed to sustainability and have incorporated compostable bags, labels, and shipping materials across all of our procedures.

Arick Davis & Sarah Laman started Last Mile Cafe to bring people coffee in a way that was just, transparent, and committed to finding solutions to the world’s most challenging problems.

Our Model

Last Mile Cafe offers a premium coffee experience, with a rich and smooth flavor profile. In addition to knowing that 10% of our revenue goes to charity, our customers also get to feel good about choosing which causes they want to support upon checkout: youth at-risk, environmental justice, criminal justice reform, and clean drinking water. Customers can also opt-in to our texting platform to nominate specific charities within each cause category. Donations are made on a quarterly basis to the leading nonprofits in each area. 

In 2021, our community chose to donate to organizations such as the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, International Rescue Committee, Indigenous Environmental Network, 1% for the Planet, Michigan Solidarity Bail Fund, AYA Youth Collective, and Flint Rising.

Our commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing makes LMC customers feel like they are contributing to the betterment of society and the planet. 

Our Coffee
 

Reasonable Doubt | Light Roast | Single-Origin Ethiopian
Tasting Notes: Blueberry, Chocolate, Honey

This single-origin Ethiopian uses a natural harvesting process where the coffee cherries are sun-dried and raked rather than power washed. This saves a tremendous amount of water, which is crucial in drought-stricken areas like Ethiopia.

The Lost Boy | Medium-Dark Roast | Blend
Tasting Notes: Berry, Almond, Dark Chocolate, Brown Sugar

The coffees in this blend are sourced from young farmers under the age of 35 in Cafinorte’s Young Coffee Producers Program in Northern Cauca, Unión Pequeños Productores (UPC) in Guatemala, and an all women-led coffee mill in Burundi.

Thank Me Later | Medium Roast | Decaf
Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Graham, Fruity

This coffee blend is naturally decaffeinated with a process using sugar cane. Molasses is fermented and then mixed with natural acids to create an ethyl-acetate to wash the beans, which effectively removes 97% of caffeine.

Our Impact
 

In our first 9 months of business, we already donated over $2,000 to charities chosen by our customers.
 

Use of Funds
 

We are excited to announce that we are in the process of securing a brick & mortar location near Boston Square in Grand Rapids, Michigan! It is currently under renovation with a tentative open date in Spring of 2022. We need your help to complete the build-out of the cafe! Your contributions, paired with traditional funding, will go toward completing the buildout of the space, equipment, furnishings, and more! Here is a breakdown of projected costs:

Tier One Goal: $29,000
Cafe Buildout, Furnishings & critical equipment (Coffee Grinders, Batch Brewers, etc) 
$29,000

Tier Two Goal: $58,000 
Equipment for Espresso (Espresso Machine, Espresso Grinder, etc)
$29,000 

Tier Three Goal: $91,000
Coffee Roaster & Installation
$33,000

Plus, since giving back is a core value of our organization, 10% of what we crowdfund will be donated to 4 organizations that represent our main cause categories: youth at-risk, environmental justice, criminal justice reform, and clean drinking water. 

Organizations benefiting from this campaign include AYA Youth Collective, West Michigan Environmental Action Council, NAACP Grand Rapids, and Flint Rising.

The Future is Ours.