Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published July 17, 2020.

The Kiva Rochester program is a partnership with Kiva, an international nonprofit organization, and the City of Rochester. Launched in August 2016 by Mayor Lovely Warren and the Office of Innovation, the program provides access to 0% interest crowdfunded loans of up to $15,000 for local small business owners who might have difficulty qualifying for capital from traditional financial institutions. The loans are crowdfunded $25 at a time by Kiva’s community of 2 million lenders from all over the world who support entrepreneurs as they launch and grow their businesses. To date, the program has connected 91 city of Rochester business owners with over $475,000 in 0% interest business capital. For more information, visit our website or Facebook, or send an email our way!

Kiva Rochester is partnering with I Heart ROC to bring you a series of interviews focusing on local entrepreneurs who are thriving in the Rochester community.

The Coffee Connection has fundraised 3 Kiva loans totaling $30,000 since 2015. As one of the first local businesses to receive a Kiva loan, even before the Kiva Rochester program was launched, the Coffee Connection has leveraged these funds to not only bolster their retail and wholesale business, but to support their employees who are women in recovery from addiction. We were thrilled to hold the press conference announcing the launch of the Kiva Rochester program at the Greenhouse Cafe location in August 2016. As a nonprofit business enterprise with a deep commitment to social impact in Rochester, the Coffee Connection embodies Kiva's mission of improving lives and communities through entrepreneurship. 

Where are you from? How did you end up in Rochester?

I grew up in rural Minnesota and moved to Rochester 30 years ago to be the pastor at a church in East Rochester. 

What are some of your favorite hidden gems around Rochester?

Rochester is not unlike Minneapolis--they both have lots of parks, lakes, and greenery, and plenty of arts and music.

What's your favorite way you've supported local during COVID-19?

I’ve been buying baked goods from our Coffee Connection location on South Ave. I also try to avoid big box stores and go to local ones instead.

If you could only eat one Rochester food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Probably Aladdin’s. I can’t eat gluten or dairy, so that limits me, but makes Aladdin’s a favorite!

What's one memory you have that captures what Rochester means to you? 

Rochester has definitely become my home over the years. The house where I live captures what Rochester means to me. I was able to cover the downpayment and early repairs with a small inheritance I received. I’ve seen many clients here and we have a labyrinth in the backyard that we built. 

What makes Rochester unique? 

Everything is just 10 minutes away. I’m 10 minutes from downtown, 10 minutes to the airport, 10 minutes to the country, 10 minutes to both of our Coffee Connection locations. I also love how many parks and green spaces we have in Rochester. I’m meant to be around green.

What would you like to see change in Rochester over the next year? 

Healthcare for everyone--it’s a huge factor that results in people staying in poverty. I’d like to see more progressive politics and policies. Our whole system needs major change. We need to go into the chaos and come out on the other side with true community.

Tell me a bit about Coffee Connection. What makes the business so unique? 

We are a nonprofit working with women in recovery from addiction, trauma, and incarceration. We do sober support, employment training, and employment creation and offer trauma-informed support as well. It all happens in a container that happens to be a coffee business. We roast fair trade, organically shade-grown coffee, both wholesale and retail. Our coffee has a great reputation; some say it’s the best in Rochester. 

The program and the business are inextricably combined. A lot of what we do is on the job training. Even supervision and HR abilities develop while we’re working; I’m continually advising our HR person on how to respond to difficult situations in ways that empower people. Our employees also learn how to cook and be a barista, as well as soft skills like being on time, and self-calming skills, like how to deal with their triggers.

I hear you got a Kiva loan to help your business grow. What was that process like? 

We were the first Kiva loan in Rochester and we’re on our third loan now! The first one we did was for $5,000. It was quickly funded, and we were able to pay it off. Our second one was for $10,000, which was also quickly funded and then later paid off. Our third one now was very quickly funded too. We want to earn as much of our revenue as possible, but our process is so people-intensive, it’s unlikely our business could ever be 100% self-sufficient. But we earn 65% of our own revenue! The current loan has no interest and payments are deferred until November due to COVID, which is a huge help.

What's next for Coffee Connection? 

We’re in a time of transition; we’re overhauling things and working on a succession plan. We’re a really unique program and no one does what we do. We’re absolutely essential. I’ve identified someone I’d like to succeed me and I’m looking to overhaul our Board of Directors too. I’m also working to make sure we have employees in leadership positions that are stable, skilled, and trained. Something I’m always thinking about is, “What does leadership look like in a non-hierarchical healing community?” That’s always on my mind as we plan what’s next.

What's been the biggest lesson you've learned while running Coffee Connection?

It’s something I’m still learning- how to find balance in the decision making process. Have I been assertive enough? Have I been too inclusive of women in the program participating in decision making? Should I have put on the boss hat more? I hate the word “boss” and I don’t like hierarchies. I’m very practical and figure things out well, but it takes me months to make some decisions. I consult with people who have wisdom and experience. There are different ways of working together, and we’re trying to find a different way of being an organization and a business. We need to find the answers together.

Any final thoughts?

In the world of MICA (mental illness and chemical abuse), there’s a real us versus them mentality. There was one client who I’d known for years, who struggled and made bad decisions, but spoke with such wisdom later on. I suggested hiring him, and people get so hung up on this divide of “he’s the client, we’re the professionals.” People with addictions are people too! They have the same abilities and intelligence. I believe that 95% of people with a history of addiction also have a history of trauma and we need to have a multidisciplinary approach to healing. A big piece of our work at Coffee Connection has always been recognizing the link between addiction and trauma.

This interview is brought to you in part by Kiva Rochester.