a product to get it just right.” A few years ago
the company launched hard ciders and more
recently, hard seltzer—a carbonated alcoholic
water low in calories and no carbs.
Thinking outside the box has also led to an
interesting charitable venture. The grain used to
brew their beer is sold to Florida cattle farmers.
The proceeds are donated to the St. Pete Free
Clinic, which uses the funds to buy food for the
food bank. “We’re proud to be feeding the community
through our spent grains,” says Leigh.
Sarah and Raphael Perrier met when Sarah was
in Philadelphia working as a professional ballerina,
and Raphael was working in a coffee shop,
training in all aspects of the coffee business.
After getting married, they moved back to St.
Pete, where Sarah had grown up. She’s a graduate
of St. Pete’s Pinellas County Center for the Arts
at Gibbs High School. “That was around 18 or 19
years ago,” says Raphael. “We thought the area
was beautiful and ready for something new, that
-
fee shop to hang out on Sunday mornings, they
decided to open their own.
Today their business, Kahwa Coffee, has more
than 14 retail locations in the Tampa Bay area,
extending down to Sarasota and more recently,
Ft. Myers, where they collaborated with Whole
Foods Market to open a Kahwa Coffee & Norman
Love Confections Café inside the store. Kahwa also
has 600 wholesale customers in the U.S. and the
Caribbean. In addition, the company recently partnered
with Tervis Tumbler to launch a Kahwa insulated
mug.
“We’ve become the premier coffee company in
Tampa Bay,” says Raphael. “When you succeed, it
means the community is behind you.” Giving back to
the community is a central tenant of Kahwa’s philosophy.
The company donates coffee on an ongoing
basis to St. Pete’s weekly 1 Million Cups entrepreneurial
forum hosted at the St. Pete Greenhouse
and to arts organizations such as the Palladium
Theater, American Stage Theater and Studio@620.
fundraisers and special events Kahwa supports with
coffee donations, full espresso bars, or their newest
innovation—a Kahwagon mobile café.
“St. Petersburg is the most amazing place to raise
a family,” says Raphael. “Everyone has a smile, it’s
beautiful, and I love the arts scene.
“I’m proud to
be here and
I think the
ten years are
going to be
amazing both
for Kahwa
and St. Pete.”
— Raphael Perrier
link
/thestpetestore.com