Since Ebenezers Coffeehouse first opened their doors in 2006, they have been a staple in the northeast Capitol Hill neighborhood near Union Station. The origination of the coffee shop is rooted back in the early 2000s when the National Community Church (NCC) bought the building in which Ebz now sits. Formerly a busy crack house, the building was dilapidated and run down when the original purchase took place. Today, with a fresh coat of paint and fully gutted, Ebenezers sits renovated and restored.
There is, however, more to Ebenezers than what meets the eye. Besides providing its customers with delicious lattes and vanilla chais, the coffeehouse has a deeper mission, one you may be unknowingly contributing to each time you grab a cup of joe from their shop.
Let me explain.
Nearly all of the products Ebenezers offers for purchase directly give back to the charities the product is tied to. Everything from the coffee beans to the loose leaf tea to the bottles of water for sale at the coffee shop contribute part or all of their proceeds to local or global outreach programs. One such product are the 2 Degrees granola bars you’ll find on the shelves at Ebz. Every time you buy one of their bars, 2 Degrees feeds a child living in poverty and hunger. At about $2 a bar, 2 Degrees makes it easy for you to help a child in need half way around the world. It’s that simple.
From the very beginning, Ebenezers has created intentional partnerships with company’s like 2 Degrees that are also intentional with their products and how those products can influence and change lives around the globe. Similarly to these charitable company’s, Ebenezers has committed itself from it’s inception to donating 100% of the proceeds they make in the coffeehouse to outreach programs here in D.C. and around the world. It’s projected that by the end of 2015, they will have given $1,000,000 to these programs.
On one of their walls, you’ll see the coffeehouse’s missional phrase “coffee with a cause”. Between their partnerships with charity-minded businesses and their own commitment to donating to outreach programs, Ebenezers is doing a lot of good for the community around them.
Ebz may be just a small, neighborhood coffee shop, but their mission extends across the world to places and people that desperately need resources and financial assistance from people like you and I. Next time you’re in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, be sure to stop by Ebz for a cup of coffee. You’ll feel good about where your money’s going.
Interested in more products Ebenezers carries that do good? I have some here!
One Village Coffee – Offering a variety of blends and single origin coffees, One Village is Ebenezers’ primary coffee roaster. One Village Coffee ensures the beans they receive to roast and sell back here in the States are fairly traded.
Humankind Water – You’ll find these bottles of water available for purchase at Ebenezers. Humankind exists to promote safe, clean drinking water for communities all over the world. One hundred percent of their net profits go to the building of wells in impoverished areas across the globe.
Compassion Tea Company – Within the past year, Ebenezers has partnered with Compassion Tea Company for their delicious and popular loose leaf teas. The company’s mission is to provide medical support to rural east African communities where such resources are scarce. They do so by donating 100% of their profits to those areas.
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