The Universal Connection
"Everywhere in the world, across all languages and creeds and borders, everybody understands coffee. It is a universal connection. When people share a coffee, it is understood that they are sharing stories."
The work we do as Coffeebeans is to facilitate connection across borders that are both real and imagined. We create the platforms that bring people together across boundaries, discovering shared resources and opportunity. We create cultural interventions for economic growth.
Tourism is our key tool for unlocking economic potential through exploring our cultural diversity and legacy, and managing it by creating sustainable development.
Our Inquiry
Can tourism shift the dominant economic and social narrative, and position economically marginalised people at the heart of the mainstream?
The Storytelling Economy
We build Experiences around stories because everybody has them. In cities packaged on binary assumptions, stories cut through to the pulse of what is happening. On a continent where people were legislated into silence, stories are equalisers.
A great place is one where local food is easier to find than food from elsewhere. Where mobility and safety are not issues. Where failure is due to squandered opportunity instead of a lack of it.
Social Justice & Environment
Environmental impact starts with social justice. If radical social and economic disparities are reduced—if society becomes more equal—environmental sustainability becomes a natural byproduct.
Our starting point is level imbalances. When we take ownership of the environments we live in—moving from indentured tenants to curators—we naturally minimise impact on the natural world. Our focus is on social justice while implementing tangible environmental management systems in parallel.
Our Guiding Principles
Narrative
Be led by stories. Focus on narratives rendered invisible by an oppressive past and present.
Economy
Use tourism to create sustained, inclusive economic development and fair pay for hosts.
Perspective
Challenge binary notions of culture. Promote indigenous knowledge systems and progressive language.
Sustainability
Favour providers with sustainable ecological practices and clear sustainability strategies.
Join the Journey
Our approach is evolutionary. Every year, we create new, unique Experiences in each city we serve to keep the Coffeebeans mission fresh and relevant.
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