Vishwa Shanti Cafe

Our mission is to service the student body and campus community, creating a cozy environment and safe space for all. Whether you’re ordering a coffee, playing pool, doing homework,  or hanging out with friends the cafe is here for you! We serve a plethora of espresso drinks, teas, baked goods, snacks and handmade pizza. We use fair trade, organic and carbon free espresso beans from a company called Grounds for Change. Our house made pizza is served by the slice starting at around noon.

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A number of community-based programs in coffee-growing countries directly benefit from the purchase of our coffee. For example, farmers in Peru receive a higher price per pound for their coffee (above and beyond the going rate for certified coffee) to help support local domestic violence intervention programs and small business loans for women.

Grounds for Change is a sustainable business and we are long-standing members of the Green America Business Network Leadership Forum. Below are examples of what we are doing to achieve our goals:

• Use 100% renewable energy and offset all of our CO2 emissions, including those from coffee growing, roasting operations, packaging, inbound freight, outbound shipping and customer’s water heating.
• Purchase and print on paper made from 100% recycled content and recycle all office paper, toner cartridges, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic.
• Recycle all of our empty burlap coffee bags by donating them to local organic farmers for weed suppression and erosion control.
• Recycle all of our coffee chaff, the organic by-product of the roasting process, by giving it to local, organic farmers to be used as a nitrogen-rich soil amendment.
• Recycle all inbound freight pallets by donating them to local businesses for reuse.
• Donate well over 1% of our gross annual sales to social and environmental organizations as part of our membership with 1% For The Planet.
• Work closely with organizations promoting positive change including Rainforest Trust, Seattle Audubon Society, Save Our Wild Salmon, Cafe Femenino Foundation and many other local and national non-profits.