What’s on: Coffee for a good cause in Darwin

Darwin locals who love their coffee can rest easy knowing their cash is contributing to improving the world in some way, writes Kate Dinning.

Padre Coffee being served at the 1995 cafe on Cavenagh St, Darwin.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about all the good people doing good things in the NT and promised to continue highlighting the good news stories for you all.

This week, I chatted to the owner of a popular Darwin cafe – well, he actually has two now –about the cost of living and buying coffee.

I was very pleased to find out that Reed Alanes’ cafe, The 1995 on Cavenagh St, was part of an initiative called ‘Good Coffee Doing Good’.

It’s a project-based fundraising program run by Padre Coffee that creates positive social and environmental impacts.

Cafes and consumers who buy a particular blend of Padre Coffee, Golden Rule, will contribute $4 for each kilo sold, to a range of worthy causes.

The 1995 cafe and Reed’s newest venture, Krome, in Casuarina, are the only cafes in the NT that use the Golden Rule blend – and Reed is the highest wholesale purchaser to the cause Australia wide.

“When I tasted the Golden Rule coffee, I knew it was the quality and taste that I was after. So, when given the choice between buying one of the other popular Padre coffee blends, or buying this one that ensures we are giving back to the community with every bag of coffee we use – It’s an obvious choice for me,” he said.

Delicious coffee served up hot at the 1995 cafe in Darwin.

Reed signed up to the Good Coffee Doing Good project in 2023 – the cause benefiting from the partnership was Agency Projects, a not-for-profit organisation that works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the country.

Last year, it was supporting Numbulwar Numburindi Arts, on the western coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria – in South-East Arnhem Land.

Through sales of Golden Rule, Padre Coffee raised over $22,000 - and Numbulwar were then able to host a series of workshops, produce videos, and elevate the incredible work of Numburindi artists.

For 2024, Good Coffee Doing Good is supporting StreetSmart Australia, meaning every coffee you buy from The 1995 or Krome will put funds towards the fight against homelessness across the country.

The other great coffee initiative that you may have seen in cafes across Darwin is the Good Cup Co, who are trying to combat the 1.8 billion single-use cups that are thrown out in Australia every year.

I am an enthusiastic keep cup user, I think it’s important to take all the steps you can to reduce plastic waste for our beautiful country.

Good cups at the 1995 cafe on Cavenagh St.

But truth be told, I am also quite a forgetful one.

It may take a little more time for people to adapt their habits to this system, but a slower uptake certainly doesn’t mean it’s any less important.

Most of us are creatures of convenience, but it really doesn’t get much more convenient than your cafe having a supply of keep cups for you to borrow, and then washing them for you when you return them. What a system.

If you see a brown ‘Good Cup’ at any cafe in Darwin (there are about 10 of them on the list at present) and you’ve forgotten your keep cup – you can borrow one of theirs for $3, and return it to any cafe that stocks them, whenever works for you.

Then you either get your deposit back, or get a clean one. Try it out next time you forget your keep cup – or instead of buying your own.

And if you’re now on the lookout for places where your dollar can work a little harder for people in need – the more you look, the more you find plenty of good people doing good. It’s still the Darwin Laksa Festival until October 31 – and for the duration of the festival, $2 from every Laksa Burger sold at Besser Brew Bar in Winnellie will be donated to Foodbank NT! That means if they sell 500 burgers this month, they’ll have helped Foodbank donate 2000 meals to Territorians in need.

If you know of great people doing good things – I’d love you to let me know so I can help them spread the word.

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