Page 11 - MidWeek - Jan 11, 2023

JANUARY 11, 2023 MIDWEEK 11
by Ginger Keller
Simone Ispahani was in college when she first learned about human
Coffee For Socially Conscious Consumers
trafficking. A friend encour- aged her to tag along to an educational talk on campus —and she hasn’t been the same since.
she met with survivors. “That solidified that this is something I feel called to do,”
to hear and, to put it in her own words, quite the buzzkill. Enter Social Brew, a cof- fee company that wants to be a conduit for change. Ispahani not only talks the talk — as in, spreads awareness about the issue (read on about her participation in a local peace- ful event) — but she walks the walk by donating 50% of her profits to organizations dedicated to fighting human trafficking, including Hono-
like a lot of companies are like ‘here’s 1% or $1,’ but I wanted to be more focused on
Social Brew was born.”
The long-term goal for So- cial Brew is to have a brick and mortar. But for now, its coffee — which has four options: Kona, Waialua, Hawaiian Blend and Decaf Brazil — can be purchased online (socialbrew.us) or at The Kāhala Hotel & Resort
“This may sound a little ignorant, but I was not really aware of how big the issue was and how hidden in plain sight it is, especially here in the U.S.,” says Ispahani, who grew up in Kāhala and grad- uated from Mid-Pacific Insti- tute. “I remember at the talk, the speaker said, ‘Once you hear it, you can’t unhear it,’ and that just hit me. I knew I had to do something.”
a big thing in my life and very foundational in everything I do, and so it’s always hard to put into words what it was specifically, but it’s like I couldn’t turn away,” she adds about why she felt drawn to the cause. “I just had to do something and I didn’t know what that was yet. When I was in India and actually got to in- teract with survivors, putting a face to the big statistics ... was mind-blowing.”
Ispahani chose coffee as the vessel for her activism because she knows conversa- tions flow over a cup of joe. It’s also her way of paying homage to her pops, who not only encourages her business endeavors, but is a coffee lov- er, too.
and Hotel Renew.
This past holiday season,
She dove headfirst into ed- ucating herself on the topic, which turned into an intern- ship at an anti-trafficking nonprofit. Later, she co-led a women’s trip to India, where
According to International Labour Organization, human trafficking generates an esti- mated $150 billion in profits and affects nearly 50 million people globally. From per- sonal experience, Ispahani knows these figures are hard
Simone Ispahani
PHOTO COURTESY JON BLEA
“I wanted to be bold. I wanted to make a statement and be as transparent as I could about the process,” adds the 27-year-old. “I feel
Those interested in learn- ing more from Ispahani, who now spends her days in San- ta Monica, can stop by her booth at a peaceful aware- ness sign-waving event on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day (Jan. 11) at the state Capitol.
says Ispahani.
“For me, my faith has been
the people I’ m trying to than to profit off of them.”
lulu-based Ho‘ōla Nā Pua. “Everyone asks me, ‘Why would you do that? How is it going to be sustainable?’ ” Ispahani says, laughing. “Thankfully, I have a dad who’s also an entrepreneur and has built a lot of business- es in his life so far. He’s been a great support and adviser in terms of how to financial- ly and strategically go about
“My dad asked me what I wanted to do next (after I got laid off during COVID) and we always loved trying dif- ferent coffee shops and sitting there having a cup of coffee. I said, ‘I’d love to work with survivors in some aspect.’ The idea kind of just popped in my head — what if I had this cof- fee shop to employ survivors and create sustainable job opportunities? That was how
the biz also launched pancake mixes. Flavors include guava, mochi, coconut and macada- mia nut.
this.
Visit hoolanapua.org to learn more.
help
Now thru JaNuary 31, 2023