Category: Thailand

While I was still in Thailand, I was able to check out this really awesome coffee shop in the Nana District of Bangkok.  CityLight Coffee is coffee with a connection. They make delicious coffee made with the freshest locally-sourced beans, a homemade pastries, and have very comfortable chairs to rest in.

For those who don’t know, the Nana District of Bangkok, is a red-light district.  To get to this coffee shop, you have to walk past several adult bars to get to the coffee shop.  We went during that day, so it wasn’t overtly in your face, but it was definitely noticeable.

Thailand is a source, destination and transit country for trafficking in persons according to the 2014 report by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs.  An estimated are that 80% of Thai men frequent women in bars and 60% of foreign men entering Thailand participate in the sex industry, generating approximately US $1.2 billion annually.

This coffee shop is a light in the darkness, a safe place to come in, escape the madness, enjoy a coffee or their signature CityLight cold creations (I went with the coconut creme and it did not disappoint) and lounge on their comfy couches.

They also have some great jewelry for sale, made by local women looking to better their economic circumstances.

I also picked up a new coffee mug and snagged a bag of their coffee beans, these locally-sourced beans are from Abonzo Coffee, a small coffee farm operated by Akha Hilltribe people on Doi Chaang, located 65km outside of Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand. CityLight Coffee purchases the beans directly from the farmer, ensuring that no money passes through a middleman and maximizing the benefit to the community. The beans are grown on the highest part of Doi Chaang which provides the perfect climate for full-flavored coffee beans. All of the farm laborers are paid fair wages and Abonzo Coffee seeks to use proceeds from their coffee sales to benefit education and job opportunities in their Akha community.  How cool is that?

Ever been to Bangkok?  What was your favorite coffee shop?

 

Antique Cafe serves up compassion, hope, and honor in their coffee shop located in Bangkok, Thailand.  This is a for-profit social business that provides on the job training to prepare vulnerable individuals for their next job in the food and beverage industry.  They exist to support and empower their local community.  Their heart is for developing and collaborating with others.  They do this primarily as a rental space where groups can meet for workshops, small events, community gatherings, and special interest clubs.

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This week, I had the opportunity to check out an adorable coffee shop and bakery called, Samaritan Creations.  Samaritan Creations was founded by Mike & Kay Killar (who were kind enough to give me a tour) with Kong & Sook Phomphuong in May 2010. Kay, who is Thai, first visited the infamous Patpong red-light district on a ministry trip with a friend. It was during this time that the Lord broke her heart for the two million girls all over Thailand who were trapped in a horrifying situation and in desperate need for the Lord. Together with her husband, Mike, they decided to begin development of a ministry to give these women a way out of the trap that they were in. Now they help operate the Samaritan Creations ministry, helping many women discover an alternative to life in the sex trade and about a loving God that wants them to be healed and free.

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