BUFFALO — Tucked away in the historic Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood is a special coffee shop that is working to make a difference in East Buffalo.
"We really wanted to focus on bringing something down here that the neighborhood would be proud of," says Herman Cooks, the General Manager of Three Stories Coffee Company. "We wanted to invest in this neighborhood"
Three Stories Coffee Company is a small batch coffee roastery that opened it's new café at 1021 Broadway in March of 2022. Like many coffee shops Three Stories offers a full breakfast and lunch menu, but what makes it so unique is that the café is also a non-profit.
"We sell coffee to employee people, we don't sell coffee to make money," says Cooks.
Three Stories Coffee Company is an extension of 716 Ministries which is a faith based entrepreneurial nonprofit.
"716 is a community development, workforce development organization, that essentially starts businesses to help employ people and develop them for additional workforce development," says Executive Director Jeremy Hazelton.
That means that every cup of coffee and every breakfast sandwich sold at Three Stories go a long way. 100 percent of the proceeds go back into the community through workforce training programs and resources.
"It's been really great," says Hazelton. "You watch folks get the opportunity to develop workplace excellence through soft skills and credentialed programming. We get them connected to some opportunities. It's life changing."
And the results are not only impressive, but delicious.
"This is really big for the Broadway-Fillmore community", says Wayne Williams, who is a chef at Three Stories. "We have to have things like this that open early in the morning for people to come down for coffee and breakfast, and we do everything fresh."
So if you are looking for great food, and locally roasted coffee, why not stop in and meet the team at Three Stories Coffee Company?
"My hope is, even when I'm not here, it will be able to grow," says Cooks. "It will be able to bring something to the neighborhood that wasn't here before, and other businesses can see it and say this works. There is a great pool of employees down here. Let's give these people an opportunity."
