Empowering Women, One Cup at a Time
At Lamprini we are hitting the ground running in 2025. The idiom “A lot of pots in the fire” seems apt for a food-centric business!
First up - Transforming what we have been using as our office and group activity space into a community, women’s centric cafe. Over the past year, in addition to our cloud bakery (online deliveries) and training baking program, we have been having local bake sales to highlight the skills the bakers in training have been learning. The response from the community has been favorable and we see opportunities of all kinds with a cafe in this location.
To offer some context, Lamprini Bakery and Training Kitchen are located in a part of town that is less affluent and densely populated but with less commercial commerce and cafes. It is on the main road, which leads into the red light area. It is not in an area one would think of as strategic for opening a cafe if one was in business just to open cafes. Having operated our vocational training program and cloud bakery out of this location for the past three years, we realized there are great opportunities for a cafe and for creating employment. Win-win!
As we work with women who need jobs it is evident not all can travel the 45-60 minutes it takes to get to other parts of the city, for a gamut of reasons. We want to equip and employ women and build a successful and sustainable business that serves individuals and the community. Providing job opportunities close to home is a good transition point for women as they begin their journey into the workforce and for some into independence and freedom. We know we cannot accommodate everyone’s needs, (nor should we) but as we desire to care for individuals holistically we do seek ways to serve the individuals of the community. If we can create sustainable employment close to home, this could help alleviate the burden of childcare and lessen the fear of navigating the city. As Lamprini grows in online food sales, and with a presence in the community with a cafe we hope to see more and more women employed and have the opportunity to grow in confidence, leadership skills, and interpersonal relationships.
The values of Lamprini are community, respect, and light. Opening a cafe in this location, at the edge of the red light area, reflects all of these. We are excited about the commitment to the neighborhood, and the opportunity to build community within the co-working center and with our neighbors. We know the space is already acting a beacon of light in the neighborhood. May Lamprini Cafe be another source of light, brevity, safety, beauty, and restoration! May all women who enter know their lives are valuable and their stories are worth telling and make an impact on those who hear.
