To celebrate 25 years in the community, Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co. has introduced a 25th Anniversary Blend and the establishment of a foundation with a goal to raise money for local charities.
For its initial partnership, Kaldi’s hopes to raise $25,000 for Missouri Baptist Medical Center by selling 25,000 bags of Anniversary Blend coffee and donating $1 from every bag sold. Proceeds will benefit the hospital’s Stroke Program, according to company president Tricia Ferguson.
“Support of health and wellness advancements has always been a pillar of our values at Kaldi’s,” she explained. “Whether directly or through a loved one, most people experience the life-altering effects of a stroke at some point in their lives.”
The money raised will help support stroke survivors and their families after they leave the hospital, which is a Primary Stroke Center that sees more than 2,000 stroke and mini-stroke patients a year.
“The effects of a stroke are often life-changing for the survivor and their family,” said Debra Victor, VP of the Missouri Baptist Healthcare Foundation. “To provide a continuum of care after leaving the hospital, we are creating a new program to help survivors and their caregivers adjust to their new normal. We will provide ongoing care and education, therapy services, nutritional support and more to help stroke survivors and their families thrive in their daily lives.”
The 25th Anniversary Blend coffee will be available this Saturday at Kaldi’s 10 St. Louis cafés, as well as at area grocery stores beginning next week. The blend will be available until the end of the year.
The Anniversary Blend, which harkens back to Kaldi’s very first coffee blend created in 1995, features coffees from Kenya, Colombia, and Guatemala, and combined to make a balanced, bright cup of coffee.
Kaldi’s, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in October, was founded in 1994, when Howard Lerner and Suzanne Langlois opened a coffee shop on Demun Avenue in Clayton. It was St. Louis’ first specialty coffee roastery and helped establish the craft coffee community here today. Kaldi’s was also Missouri’s first Certified Organic coffee roasting company. Now, Kaldi’s operates 18 café locations across St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City in Missouri, as well as in Atlanta.
To learn more about the 25th Anniversary Blend’s charitable contribution, visit MissouriBaptist.org/Giveback.
