SE Portland café donates 100% of its profit toward ending human trafficking

By Web Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — Many people enjoy a morning cup of coffee, but outside of a caffeine fix, can it make a difference for others? The co-founders of one Portland café say absolutely.

At Ardent Coffee in southeast Portland every drip and froth of foam becomes a way of giving back.

“Ardent means passion, and for us that name came about because it was really the cross section of different things we were excited about,” said Joe Smith, co-founder of Ardent Coffee.

Coffee lover Smith had dreamed of having his own neighborhood café for years, but wanted to take that shared sense of community a step further.

“To give people a place where they can contribute and they can make a difference in the world, one cup at a time,” Smith said.

While the concept of delicious coffee is familiar and loved in Portland, the mission behind each sip at Ardent Coffee goes much deeper.

“Totally community driven, so people come in and make a donation towards ending human trafficking,” said Smith.

Smith said with each order customers are making a donation to end modern slavery and learning more about the global crisis.

“There are more than 40 million people in the world that are held in violent situations against their will,” Smith said. “People often ask what can I do to make a dent in this because it’s so huge and so pervasive, and so for us, we realized the answer to that is Ardent Coffee.”

All profits from the café go to International Justice Mission, which works to end human trafficking around the world.

“We have suggested prices, but people can pay whatever they like for their drinks. Some people come in and give a lot, other people come in and maybe don’t have as much to give, but it’s a space where they can bring whatever they can,” said Smith.

All the baristas at the café, like Kaitlin Bell, are volunteers.

“A lot of times people come in and they are really surprised and interested in what we’re doing, and they’ll ask about how much we’ve donated and what we’re doing,” Bell said. “Even this morning, someone came in, bought a $5 cup of coffee, left, and then came back and gave us $20 more, I think.”

Since opening in summer of 2020, the nonprofit has raised and donated about $30,000 to their mission. Showing many small acts can add up and make a big impact.

If you would like to volunteer, you don’t need to have any coffee-making experience. The co-founders will train you on how to become a barista.

To learn more about Ardent Coffee, visit: ardentcoffee.org

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.