Caphe Roasters: Social Impact and Vietnamese Coffee

Thu Pham is the owner and head barista Ca Phe Roasters, Philly’s first Vietnamese coffee roaster. Caphe is located in the MaKen Studios North Building at 3525 I St., and it is one of the many growing food-based businesses housed in or around the city’s Harrowgate section.

Ca Phe Roasters is not like any other coffee shop, it is uniquely driven by social impact. Their goal is dedicated to: donate a portion of their earnings from the pop-up and the roasting business to support student programming at 12+, partner with local organizations and schools to host events and meetings in their business space, and provide a coffee career and training to underserved students, with jobs such as a barista and more.

Thu has always been driven by social impact. A year ago, owner Thu Pham was working at 12+, a nonprofit organization that supports kids in underserved Philly schools. It was until she entered the Kensington Avenue Storefront Challenge that she started her own coffee shop. Thu partnered with John and Abraham Kwon to launch Ca Phe Roasters and entered a business contest that won them a year of free rent, business advice, and funds to renovate space for the roastery in Maken Studios at 3525 I Street.

In an interview with Thu Pham, she explains what Caphe Roaster means to her and what to expect for the shop’s near future:

In a Few Sentences, Can You Explain What You Do?

“I am one of the founders of Caphe Roasters and I manage the daily operations. I am in charge of the coffee productions as a roaster, tester, and more. Moreover, I meet with new clients and bring on students from our partner schools”.

What Do You Hope to Accomplish? What Are Some Small Goals?

“We hope to expand our products and name outside of the community. We are working on the final process for packaging to launch our e-commerce site. After we can launch our website, we can continue to expand, donate to the Kensington community, integrate more students, and focus on plans such as retail too”.

What is Your Experience On Running a New Business?

“It is difficult but the process has been smoother than other startups. We were able to start because of a competition called the Kensington Avenue Storefront Challenge. It was a contest launched by Shift Capital to help grow the Kensington Avenue neighborhood. I had always wanted to open up my own coffee shop and I also saw this as a good opportunity to have a social impact”.

What Were Some Pros and Cons With Running a New Business?

“The pros are being able to work with Shift Capital on financial and logistical support. Also the opportunity to reach diff communities and have a strong following. But the cons are the transition to be an entrepreneur”.

What Do You Need To Help Caphe Roaster Achieve?

“We need to reach different communities, attend events such as a Gala, have custom packaging and coffee bags, more pop ups, and retail in the future for Caphe Roaster”.

But, customers don’t visit the shop for their virtuous values. People go for their delicious coffee and Vietnamese sandwiches. The most distinguishable feature about Caphe Roasters is their menu. The two top items on their list is the ca phe sua nong (Vietnamese hot coffee with condensed milk) or ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk). Many people in the North Philly area have never tried Vietnamese drinks or food before, so it is an exciting opening for Thu, as it gives her a chance to share the culture.

In the meantime, Caphe Roasters is doing a lot of pop-ups to expand their name and expose people to the coffee. The packages come with little index cards showing you how to make a traditional Vietnamese coffee too. Although Caphe is focused on Vietnamese coffee, they plan on adding more Asian drinks and on having a location in Kensington Avenue soon.