New White Plains coffee shop gives profits to charity
It's a little unusual to name a coffee shop after a grapefruit, but Lydia and Gary Kris who just opened The Pamplemousse Project in White Plains, are fine being a little different.
In fact, that's the point of their new 50-seat spot, which softly opened Dec. 1 followed by a more formal opening on Dec. 5. For one, their coffee shop, which features ethically sourced beans from a host of Rainforest Alliance producers, pastries from various New York City bakeries along with a full line of chocolates, is committed to donating all profits to local charities.
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"We've lived in White Plains for 20 plus years and always felt that it was lacking a good coffee shop like you'd find in the City," said Lydia Kris. "We wanted a place that serves really good coffee as well as offers a place to hang out and work. Plus, serves the community."
Because the two have been on a lot of boards and non-profits in Westchester and saw how hard it was for organizations struggling to raise money, especially since the pandemic, they had an idea to marry their love for coffee with their passion for helping nonprofits.
Though The Pamplemousse Project is a for-profit entity — the two have varied business backgrounds, his mostly in finance and hers mostly in consumer products; most recently they owned a dental manufacturing company — it works a bit like Newman's Own, the food company started by actor Paul Newman, in that the goal is to make money to give money.
As for the name: It started during the pandemic as a joke about the mispronunciation of the French word for grapefruit (yes, that’s a pamplemousse) but soon morphed into a nickname for the couple's mixed breed shelter rescue dog who, Lydia Kris said, is "very sweet but not always perfectly behaved and has issues."
The moniker, she said, felt like the perfect metaphor for their coffee shop and White Plains in general as, as with any city, it has its challenges.
The city is such a big part of their mission that the words "White Plains" are posted in huge letters on the wall along with their motto, on the opposite wall: "Coffee for the Community."
"Our project," she said, "Is to work to overcome these challenges and bring joy to our community. Hence The Pamplemousse Project," which is ideally so memorable and so offbeat, people will be talking about it.
And, hopefully, come visit for pastries, chocolate and coffee.
If you go
Address: 124 Mamaroneck Ave., 914-829-4736, thepamplemousseproject.com
Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
FYI: The café was designed using natural and sustainable materials, including counters made from recycled sorghum stalks, lighting fixtures fashioned out of corrugated cardboard and tables, paneling, and shelving built with reclaimed lumber sourced from old New York City buildings.
In other coffee news
Bluestone Lane opened its third Westchester location in Larchmont Oct. 22. Existing Bluestone's are in Armonk and White Plains. 114 Chatsworth Ave., 718-374-6858, bluestonelane.com
Booskerdoo Coffee & Baking Co. opened Nov. 26 in Ardsley. This is the second Westchester spot for the coffee company, though it's the first one with baking and roasting on the premises. 716 Saw Mill River Road, 914-231-5505, booskerdoo.com
Tazza Cafe opened Nov. 30 in Thornwood with 28 seats inside and, eventually, outdoor seating. The coffee shop, which features an array of pastries, salads, wraps, soups, paninis and toasted ciabatta sandwiches, also has places in Armonk, Katonah, Millwood and Ridgefield, Connecticut. 603 Columbus Ave., 914-373-2955, tazzacafeny.com
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: A new kind of coffee shop has opened in White Plains
