THE STORY SO FAR

We're the new kids on the coffee block.

Three Cords Coffee was a dream that began to take shape back in 2017. But our story traces back to 2012 when Paul, a social entrepreneur, opened Kahaila, a non-profit coffee shop nestled in the heart of Brick Lane, East London. The name "Kahaila" embodies the spirit of community and bringing life to Brick Lane and beyond. The coffee shop quickly became a vibrant hub of creativity and compassion, drawing in like-minded individuals who shared the vision and ethos of Kahaila.

The Kahaila community grew, giving rise to initiatives supporting disadvantaged women, survivors of human trafficking, mentoring programs, and education for incarcerated women. In 2017, Paul's dream took a new direction - to establish a coffee roastery committed to crafting the finest specialty coffee while also launching a barista training school to empower disadvantaged adults for employment.

During the lockdown, Paul, with the support of friends who shared a similar vision, finally saw the opportunity to turn this dream into a reality. Enter Three Cords Coffee.

With Alex's marketing expertise and deep-rooted appreciation for great coffee from his upbringing in Brazil, along with Blake and Mark's business acumen and passion for purpose-driven ventures, the Three Cords team pooled their knowledge and experience to bring this dream to life.

Our name draws inspiration from the wisdom of Ecclesiastes: "A three-stranded cord is not easily broken." It serves as a reminder that we are at our strongest when we collaborate and work together for the benefit of others. At Three Cords Coffee, we're not just brewing exceptional coffee; we're brewing positive change for our community and the world.

THE MANIFESTO

Where there’s great coffee, community grows.
Where there’s growing community, things change.
Where there’s genuine change, tomorrow’s a better place.

For us, coffee is what connects a great brew today to a better world tomorrow.
Our three cords are how we do it:
coffee, community and change weave Three Cords together.

Coffee

Back in the day, most of us started out drinking instant coffee. Why you ask? Because it was the dark ages and that’s all we had. 

Then came the great coffee awakening and everything changed. The brave artisan coffee pioneers of yesteryear discovered coffees from far off lands and showed that by thoughtfully roasting these magical beans, you could unlock new frontiers of great flavours that naturally exist in high quality coffee. Suddenly, those who had for so long walked in darkness, were now enlightened (us included). Bit by bit, we discovered coffee could actually taste good.

So we are inviting you on a journey of enlightenment where, together, we will discover and enjoy the wonderful world of specialty coffee. 

COMMUNITY

As with all journeys, the best ones aren’t done alone. We think some of life’s happiest memories are experienced in connecting with others over a cup of (Three Cords) coffee. 

In community, we all get to laugh and celebrate on joyous occasions and we find a shoulder to cry on in the more challenging times. In community, we can do more, go further and live happier than we would alone.

CHANGE

One of our favourite activities over a cup of Three Cords coffee is to dream of how we can create a better world tomorrow then the one we live in today. But what good is it to just chat about the changes we would make, unless we are actively looking to make our dreams of a better world a reality?

That’s why we are working with our sister organization Kahaila (a charity) to deliver BREW: a barista and roastery employment workshop to provide community, support and employment for disadvantaged adults. This is where our dream to make tomorrow a little better begins. So how about we work together? Come on over. Let’s have a cup of coffee and make a change.