New Haven now feels like the United Nations of Food and Coffee. Today I visited this Arabic and Middle East coffee shop called Havenly (25 Temple St.), which is like a social enterprise for women refugees. How meaningful!

I used to work for the Big Tech, which were all proud to focus more on the “mission” than just monetisation. When I walked into the coffee shop, I saw its mission statement written on the wall — to build the community power of refugees and immigrant women through job training, education, and civic engagement.

Now that sounds like a real and ambitious mission. Don’t look down a small coffee shop. As John F. Kennedy once famously said: “One person can make a difference and everyone should try.”

Well done, New Haven!

P.S. If you want to find the best baklava in Connecticut, this is the place.

Havenly
25 Temple St, New Haven, CT 06510