Curating an Ethical Cafe — with GlobeIn
Aside from wanting to eliminate as much waste as possible, my other goal for Simple Coffee from the outset was to fill the space — no matter how tiny — with decor, ceramics, art, and utensils sourced as ethically as possible. I wanted to show that there’s another way to run a cafe. One done slowly, with intention, each decision weighed carefully to see what was both sustainable (ecologically and economically) and ethical.
Although I’ll never claim that each item in the shop is 100% ethically made or sustainably made (that’s just not possible in today’s world), just about everywhere I turn in our tiny space is filled with goods that I’ve sourced secondhand, made ourselves, or have been purchased/gifted from an ethical or fair trade retailer.
GlobeIn’s artisan-made fair trade goods pop up all over the shop if you know where to look.
One of the brands I’ve worked with the most and admire so deeply, GlobeIn, if you’re not already familiar, is an “artisan subscription box” service that curates incredibly beautiful, useful, and handmade boxes with goods from talented craftsmen from around the world.
Each month features a different theme, with FOUR correlating boxes around that theme. For February, the theme was “garden”. An apt theme, considering gardening season feels like months away in snowy Colorado. They sent us the Bud Box and it came with perfectly crafted planters and other planty goodness that brought a needed breath of Spring to the shop.
This month, there are five coffee and tea themed boxes to choose from, which is the perfect way to introduce your home, shop, or loved one to ethically sourced coffee/tea/supplies.
Luckily, if you miss out on a certain theme or product, each item is stocked in their “ala carte” shop as well, so you can shop as needed, if you don’t need the surprise of a subscription box each month. I’ve added so many kitchen gadgets, spices, dishes, and accessories to my life from GlobeIn over the years and love that I can truly trust that origin story of each piece.
The lantern doubles as the most beautiful tip jar in the land, and I plan to move the Llama Planter outside once the weather warms up. The box also came with a sweet little wall mounted mini-planter and a hand painted ceramic “label” for growing spices or herbs (something I’d love to dive into for syrup making).
Everything else, I’m so excited to say, is either repurposed, thrifted, or bought from a similar retailer like GlobeIn. It certainly isn’t the most convenient, quickest, or cheapest way to stock a cafe, but when I can know the stories behind everything I can (and then tell those stories to my customers), it’s well worth it.
Whether you’re a business owner or not, I think the same mindset can/should be applied to furnishing a home.
Do you struggle knowing where to find pieces for your home that you feel good about? GlobeIn won’t disappoint.
*This post is part of a longterm partnership with GlobeIn. All opinions, photos, and creative direction are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make SL&Co. possible.*
