Refuge Coffee Co., a 501c3 non-profit business, exists to serve the global community in Clarkston through coffee-related job creation, job training, social networking, and commerce.
We dream of a more vibrant Clarkston, one where refugees have opportunities to thrive. Where they move from survival in their first days here to building a life. Where people from greater Atlanta and beyond discover the multi-textured beauty of a global culture right here in our own backyard.
We believe in the resilience of our refugee neighbors. We see incredible strength in our barista/trainees. Our goal is to join in the task of empowering our refugee friends to use their many gifts to help us create refuge.
One day soon, we hope to see Clarkston emerge as a destination, a richly-textured “village” where people who live in greater Atlanta and beyond come to experience a dining, entertainment, and shopping experience created by a robust collaboration between immigrant and American business owners.
Clarkston
Our heart is here, our first home, where immigrants and refugees from over 45 countries across five continents live and work together. More than 60 different languages are spoken in the one square mile that makes up downtown Clarkston. We find so much beauty in our home, and we think you will, too. Here’s what our mayor, Ted Terry, has to say about Refuge:
“The bright red coffee truck, the smell of freshly made Ethiopian sambusas, and residents from all over the world eating, drinking, and laughing together: It exemplifies everything that makes our community great. I love spending my office hours there and at all the other businesses around town owned by Americans of all stripes. These great Clarkston companies have employees originally from Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, in addition to nearby Atlanta.”
We’re less than half a mile outside I-285, four miles from Decatur, and yet—in some ways—a world apart. We hope you’ll pay us a visit soon!
