“Being able to serve coffee at the Assemblies of God National Leadership and Resource Center is an incredible opportunity for us to showcase what God is doing through AGWM’s incredible missionaries all over the world! We are excited to serve coffee with a purpose to so many who are already serving the Kingdom in their own right,” says Ryan Dagen, Finance and Operations for Eurasia Café.

With each cup of coffee purchased, employees will be able to support ministries across the world. Coffee service will be available at the café and can be ordered for meetings, events, or office parties. Employees can also purchase Eurasia Café coffee and tea to brew at home or give as gifts!

We are so excited about this new partnership and will keep you posted with photos and details of this new Eurasia Cafe location!

At Eurasia Cafe, we love joining you to raise support and awareness for the passions on your heart! If you have your own project you’d like to fundraise for, or an upcoming event/wedding where you’d like a Custom Labelled Coffee, this might be exactly what you’re looking for. We invite you to explore these coffees, or develop your own Custom Label here!

So, as you drink coffee in your very own coffee cozy, or wear a gorgeous Eurasia Cafe apron you can be reminded of lives being transformed, and lasting love being shared with victims of human trafficking who now are in a healing environment of restoration and new beginnings. These products are tangible reminders of how we can impact our world through the purchases and investments we make. So, why wait when you could have your very own Reversible Apron or Coffee Cozy?

I am writing from my desk on this fine day. Well, I think it is fine outside, but there are no windows in our office, so all I can do is remember what the weather was like when I arrived.

Here’s my view of our office.

People who walk into our office often mention that our office is warm, and very inviting! We love having an office with a “Eurasian” flair, and a comfy couch too that is a nice creative space to work from on occasion too!

I learn something new each day. For example, I was checking out our website today to see if we needed to update anything and I found out that people can review our products and rate them. Who knew?  Ha ha, obviously I didn’t.

I am so excited that I get to be a part of Eurasia Café. I am a missionary kid that lived in the Slavic portion of Eurasia for about four years, have a degree in international and multicultural studies, have served as a MAPS worker with Eurasia Experience and now have the privilege of working with Eurasia Café. I am definitely passionate about making a difference in Eurasia.

I have seen firsthand how lives can be changed simply by people catching a vision and running with it. With Eurasia Café, this is so easy to do. Just by making a purchase (however small it may be) you give back to projects that change lives. It’s that simple–coffee with a purpose.

Thanks for being a part of what we do by joining the movement! You are a world changer every time you drink Eurasia Café coffee (and soon tea too)!

P.S. if you haven’t already be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest on life and happenings at Eurasia Cafe!

Thought you might like to know a little about me, so here you go:

Work tidbits:

• I am an Account Manager, so pretty much I work with our church, retail, custom label and event partners to answer any questions they may have, place orders for them, etc. I also update our web store and do other various things when needed. I have a “be flexible” and “find a need and fill it” mentality thanks to my parents and youth pastor.
• I started working with EC at the end of January and have been enjoying it thus far.
• Right now, I am a MAPS worker, which means I have to raise my own support to be able to work with Eurasia Café.

Personal tidbits:

• I am from Virginia.
• I am a missionary kid from Ukraine and Russia.
• I love traveling, photography, movies, music, and so much more!

Overall, I love Jesus and love being a part of a team that works to change lives. I am also excited to begin this blog journey with you!

A lot has changed and developed here at Eurasia Café offices during this spring semester because of these incredible leaders. Not only were they all hard working, but they each had a great passion and heart to advocate social justice awareness through using their strengths and talents.

So without further adieu, we’d like to give a big SHOUT-OUT to…

Kristen Ostrem: Project Management

Kristen worked with our team developing special projects.  She served in many ways as the “glue.”  In addition to partnering with Eurasia Café, Kristen also assisted Charity with marketing development.

Some fun facts about Kristen: She graduated from Evangel University last Friday!! A book she recommends: Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey. She runs track/cross country at Evangel. She is passionate about: “Missions through business.”

Allison Drewitz: Chief Storyteller

Allison led our blog relaunch with creativity and contagious excitement! She supported with editing story submissions for the blog as well as redesigning the layout and communication strategy for telling stories with excellence. Allison’s gift for communication and passion about changing lives, one cup at a time, has inspired our team of bloggers for many stories to come!!

Some fun facts about Allison: Favorite coffee/tea drinks: Dark Roast coffee, Freedom Blend, and English Tea. Movie she’d recommend, To Save A Life. In her own words: “Building relationships is one of the key ways to spread the Gospel and I love that Eurasia Café centers on building relationships. Using coffee to spread the Gospel and build relationships is something I want to be apart of.”

Ruthie Lowenberg: Designer Extraordinaire

Ruthie served, served, served our office by designing gorgeous custom labels, our upcoming mug release, and web banners. We love Ruthie and her gift for bringing style and class to everything we do!

Some fun facts about Ruthie: She graduated from Evangel University last Friday!! Movie she’d recommend: Lord of the Rings. She has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro! In her own word’s: “I love the mission of Eurasia Café and the heart for missions in the office and throughout the company. The café is really making a difference and I love being a part of it.”

Anna Obermesik: Product Research & Development Assistant

Anna quickly became the “product guru” of our office. She researched over 100 different fair trade companies that Eurasia Café is considering partnering with for future product development.  Anna is an expert in on-trend, socially responsible products and has a passion to bring them to our customers with us! She also did a terrific job coordinating design ideas for our Boutique Hotel plans, and arranging event schedules for our Spring Tour.

Some fun facts about Anna: Favorite snack food:  Cereal. Movie she’d recommend: Phantom of the Opera. In her own words: “What I love most about Eurasia Café is the amazing coffee and the lives it changes.”

Zach Porting: Chief Efficiency Advocate

Zach was our not only our first and longest active intern, but he has worked to: enact a recycling program in our office, research sustainable products for our purchasing department, and to inspire our team to use our favorite mugs rather than piling up the paper waste. Zach also introduced packaging material made out of coconut fiber (that is imported from Sri Lanka), creating an additional revenue stream for Sri Lankan coconut farmers, and is 100% compostable. We now use it in all of our packages replacing packing peanuts and plastic bubble wrap.

Some fun facts about Zach: Favorite coffee/tea drink: Green tea. Book he’d recommend: House of Leaves. In his own words: “Working for the benefit for the global community!”

Yang Zou: Fulfillment Manager

Yang is a behind the scenes guy, but that does not mean that he goes unnoticed. During the last four months Yang has refined our coffee packaging assembly line, improved our inventory systems, and maximized customer satisfaction by cutting shipping costs and fulfilling orders with speed and accuracy. His attention to detail and organizational strengths have been an amazing blessing to our team!!

Some fun facts about Yang…. Movie he’d recommend: A Letter to God. Favorite Snack: Chips. In his own words: “I really do like that Eurasia Café is a faith based organization that helps mission’s through business.”

Our Eurasia Café team has been inspired and blessed by the investment of each of these friends and world-changers!! We thank God for the privilege of being able to serve alongside each one, as we’ve worked to share hope and justice through each project and goal accomplished this semester. We know that they’ll all continue to impact the world everywhere they go!

Interested in Interning at Eurasia Cafe? 

Contact us by emailing info@EurasiaCafe.org for an Application Packet! We still have a few openings available for Summer 2012, and Fall 2012!

“Today it is very fashionable to talk about the poor. Unfortunately, it is not fashionable to talk with them” – Mother Teresa

When we talk about people we make assumptions and build stereotypes that often fall short of reality. Leading up to a recent trip to Nepal, I did a lot of talking about what I thought the rural communities of Nepal needed and how Eurasia Café starting a coffee farm in the region could address those needs. I had great intentions but those intentions were based on what I thought the people needed. What can someone who drinks a four-dollar latte know about the needs of a person who requires a full day’s work to earn that same four dollars?

Unfortunately, I’m not the only person with great intentions and faulty assumptions. For nearly a century, the developed world has tried government programs, non-profit initiatives, celebrity endorsements and numerous other means to address global poverty; yet the number of poor around the world and in our own communities continues to swell. With all the noise why are we not seeing more results?

I believe it all comes down to the simple fact that we do not stop often enough to talk with the poor. We assume our own means make us an authority on what it takes to rise out of poverty. Yes, we have knowledge, insight and experience that can help, but only if we listen long enough to know what is relevant to the individual. We need to take on the role of friend and coach, not president and director!

As I savored a cup of Himalayan Java with a humble farmer in Nepal, my own grand plan for a large coffee farm that employed hundreds was shattered. However, from the shattered pieces a new plan began to emerge. The farmer talked to us about how most of his neighbors are subsistence farmers. They grow enough on their land to feed their families for approximately six months of the year, but beyond that they need to produce something that they can sell in order to sustain themselves over the remaining six months. One option is coffee. By working with these farmers to plant, nurture and maintain a few coffee plants we will be able to build relationships and talk with them about the things they really need to break the cycle of poverty. No, coffee in and of itself will not change these people’s lives. However, the relationship built around it just might!

Remember if we are serious about changing lives it is not enough to talk about the needs of those around us. Leave that to the politicians and celebrities. Instead, go out and talk with the people experiencing pain firsthand! Ask questions. Build relationships. Then use your own knowledge and creativity to help lead a revolution against poverty: one person at a time.

I’ve gotten to where I’m at today due to two life altering events. The first happened at the age of 12. I moved from small town USA to one of the cosmopolitan capitals of the world—Vienna, Austria. I went from a primary pastime of carving paths in the woods for my dirt bike to exploring Europe and all it has to offer. My conservative Christian values were thrust into the liberal arena of an international prep school. The opportunities were great; the temptations greater. By the time I returned to the United States for college, my passport was full but my heart was empty. I craved more and more of the materialistic markers of success. I studied International Business primarily because I thought it would deliver the three things I valued the most; the ability to travel, money and fame. Unwilling to “pay my dues” in the corporate world I set out to build my own empire. I started a contracting business and put everything I had into it. I pushed everything and everyone to the limit.

Enter life altering event #2. When the real estate market crashed in 2008, I crashed with it. My fall had little to do with the market and everything to do with a wake of neglected relationships and misplaced priorities. I was physically and emotionally flattened for nearly a month! When I was able to get back on my feet I made a commitment to change the way I did business. That commitment led to a sequence of events that brought me to Eurasia Café. It also gave birth to four principles that guide me in my role of helping to shape the future of our business and its mission:

1)     Seek financial and physical sustainability. Most people understand the first part but forget that if financial sustainability comes at the expense of you and your co-worker’s health or sanity, the project is not truly sustainable.

2)     Relationships trump everything. Nothing, not profits, not success, not acclaim. Nothing should be more important than your relationships. Well maintained relationships are the only thing immune from traditional business cycles.

3)     Grow organically. Celebrate small successes. Use them as a launching point for the greater things you want to accomplish.

4)     Build on the strengths of you and your team. Potentially great ideas aren’t truly great until you have someone capable of fully developing them.

Through it all I have to make a daily, conscious effort to maintain a healthy balance between business and mission, passion and obsession and faith and action. I’m excited to finally be doing it for a cause greater than me—A cause that will change the future of countless people currently living without hope. One person at a time.

The flavors we will be featuring include: Black Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, Peppermint Tea (decaf), and Black Currant black tea!

We are so excited about the opportunity to soon serve tea with a purpose! In the next month our existing Partner and Wholesale accounts will have the opportunity through an exclusive “soft-launch” to begin purchasing our tea to serve and sell within their organizations, churches, and communities.  After our “soft-launch” we will open up the tea line for everyone. Stay tuned for details on how to make your tea count.

If you are interested in becoming a Partner or Wholesale account we’d invite you to contact us to learn more about serving, selling, or fundraising with us!

*Name of the school has been changed.