Coffee has rarely needed a cause - especially in Melbourne, where it is generally considered the answer to all of life’s ills - but when a Collingwood developer had a vacant lot on their hands they decided to use it for the greater good.
The end result is Co-Ground, a pop-up that means you can have your cup and soothe your conscience, too. All profit made by the social enterprise café, on the corner of Langridge and Wellington Streets in the shadow of some serious aerosol wall art, goes to helping people in need in Vanuatu and the broader Asia-Pacific.
It’s a good story, brought to the street by developer PACE after being alerted to some unused space behind their by display suite by their architect, who thought it might find some purpose. PACE management’s first thought was coffee - their second thought was charity. “It’s an old derelict cattery and there was some space at the side of the building,” says PACE marketing manager Andrew Crichton. “The sales team said we could use it as a carpark but we saw an opportunity bigger than that to use a really prime spot for something better. Community is important in Collingwood, and so is coffee, so we put the feelers out. We were put in touch with Five Senses, who put us in touch with Co-Ground.”
Started in 2015 by three Melburnians in the aftermath of Vanuatu's Cyclone Pam, has gone on to fund projects both in Vanuatu and the Philippines. It’s is currently raising money to fund a school on the remote Vanuatu island of Epi - and the deal with PACE means that any profit from the coffee or food you buy will directly go into the aid coffers.
PACE have taken care of sundry expenses such as electricity and water, allowing Co-Ground to maximise their profits; the developer even built the undercover area where for diners to drink coffee and eat toasties in-house, so to speak.
Children help with work on a Co-Ground-funded project. Source: Co-Ground
Co-Ground social enterprise director Todd Nicholls says the partnership has helped Co-Ground raise its profile, as well as prove that social enterprise is a viable funding model.
“We’re in it for the long haul which is why we’ve decided to go down the road of social enterprise, which is much more sustainable than simply asking people for money.”
The Co-Ground coffee stand is a collaboration in more ways than one. It features coffee from Five Senses, from a machine donated by La Marzocco. Tea is from Calmer Sutra. The mobile van, staffed by volunteers, was itself funded by a crowd-funding campaign that raised $25,000. Once the Collingwood site is done, the van will hit the road to other green pastures, including music festivals. “Having the van here in Collingwood has really helped with awareness,” says Nicholls. “It’s really activated the space and given us ideas about how to go forward.”
Todd Nicholls of Co-Ground Source: Co-Ground
The Co-Ground pop-up café is open from 7am to 3pm Wednesday to Sunday, at 51 Langridge Street, Collingwood.
