About this Kane FM story
Karuna Coffee House, an innovative new cafe based in Aldershot, opened its doors to the public on May 17th 2021. In addition to their wide variety of coffee, they aim to become a place for the community to get connected, unwind, and refresh.
Unlike many other coffee houses, Karuna has gone the extra mile - by providing an on-site coffee roastery. This has meant that the batches are then roasted in smaller quantities, to keep the coffee as fresh as possible. By cutting out the unnecessary travel of the product - and roasting their beans on-site - the cost of each cup of coffee is substantially lower than other coffee chains.
Alongside the Cafe and a coffee roastery, they have already been running the ‘Karuna Action’ charity. This provides education, healthcare, and income generation support to hundreds of people in 11 countries around the world. 100% of the profits made from the sale of each bag, or cup of coffee supports the work of Karuna Action.
Coffee is something that they are extremely passionate about, and recognise that it has the potential to break the cycle of poverty in the lives of those they work with. Karuna Action has been roasting coffee since 2014, and plans to host a variety of workshops, from coffee courses for home brewers - to work experience for those struggling with employment. In the near future they also hope to have a community fridge and larder which will be open to all.
As well as their stunning cafe downstairs, Karuna have a multitude of rooms in the rest of the building; one of which is a pottery studio. Resident potter Cath Raine is busy creating beautiful cups, mugs and teapots to be sold to customers downstairs in the cafe. She also runs classes for those who want to learn the art of pottery. Classes are slightly cheaper than what you’d find elsewhere, because Cath and Karuna believe learning an art form should be accessible to all.
Furthermore, there is another great service being offered at Karuna. Lewis, who helps run the coffee house, is a qualified debt counsellor. He will be offering a free service to local residents in a private space upstairs and hopefully improve the lives of people affected by debt. This is just another way Karuna are giving back to the local community.
It doesn’t stop there however; downstairs in the basement area, is a relaxing and quiet space with sofas, beanbags and comfy chairs. Karuna are using this space to conduct mindfulness and/or meditation classes - its the perfect space for unwinding. Karuna also offer a function/meeting room, which they hope to open up to the public after the next roadmap deadline at the end of June.
Overall, not only do Karuna offer incredible coffee, but also offer an amazing space for the community.
Article written by: Lucy Hooper and Kyia Harris