Giving Cup BC is a coffee shop that gives back
Enjoying your favorite cup of coffee is a good way to start a morning.
But add a little kindness to that cup, and it can make your day.
That's the idea behind Giving Cup BC, a new downtown Battle Creek coffee shop that donates $1 for every cup sold.
"We aren't just a coffee shop," said Ruby Eagle, Giving Cup BC's manager. "It feels good to know that every day that people are coming here and getting a cup of coffee, and, at the end of the day, we will have a monetary amount that shows us that we created this much good for the community."
Giving Cup BC is a subsidiary of the Battle Creek Community Foundation and located across the hall from those offices at 32 West Michigan Ave. in downtown Battle Creek.
Giving Cup BC's goal is to raise money to give back to the Battle Creek community and to specifically support the unhoused population by way of the Battle Creek Shelter. All while giving patrons what they call 'an unparalleled coffee shop experience.'
The Giving Cup BC is in the midst of a soft opening, which started Monday, and will have limited hours prior to a full opening coming in early 2023. Currently, the shop is open from 8-11 a.m., Monday through Saturday, offering brewed coffee, iced coffee, espresso, as well as bagels, fruit cups and packed salads. Part of the coffee experience includes in-house made syrup and house-made sweet foam for coffees and lattes.
"We have limited staff so far, so we have limited hours," Eagle said. "But word is getting out already and people are coming down to check us out."
Under the umbrella of the Battle Creek Community Foundation and the brainchild of President/CEO Brenda Hunt, Giving Cup BC is a for-profit enterprise with the idea of not only raising funds for entities like the Battle Creek Shelter but also allowing for fostering entrepreneurship.
"I was able to experience what it's like to be an entrepreneur by establishing vendor contracts and networking with local establishments," Eagle said.
"We are taking a non-profit approach to a for-profit business," added Clovis Bordeaux, senior marketing/strategy officer for Battle Creek Community Foundation. "The reason it is called the 'Giving Cup' is that it gives to the shelter and helps keep that up and running. But (it) also allows for, in the future, to have some of those people down there to come down here and have them participate in a for-profit business.
"The idea is taking some of the ideas of what we do at the foundation, across the hall here, and add to some of the things we do for profit."
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Giving Cup BC is a coffee shop that gives back
