The Midtown Location Further Extends Clarkston-Based Nonprofit’s Ability to Serve Refugees, Connect Communities and Extend Welcome in the Heart of Atlanta
The Woodruff Arts Center is now home to the newest Refuge Coffee Shop in Atlanta. The nonprofit organization provides living-wage jobs, mentorship, and job training for resettled refugees and immigrants. Refuge Coffee shops welcome people from greater Atlanta and beyond to discover the multitextured beauty of the world. Founder and CEO, Kitti Murray says “The idea is to not do this business of welcome for refugees, but to do it with local refugee and immigrant neighbors. Together, we work hard to create spaces of authentic refuge where everyone is heartily welcomed.”
The mission of Refuge is, in a word, welcome. Based in Clarkston, Georgia, where over half of the population are some of the most un-welcomed people in our world today — resettled refugees from over 45 countries — Refuge has tapped into the beauty and resilience of that community. In addition to Midtown and its home base in downtown Clarkston, Refuge has expanded to a location in Sweet Auburn and offers catering across the city. “We think you’ll agree that our barista trainees are some of the best purveyors of welcome on the planet. Our employment and training give them space to breathe in the present and to dream of the future, while giving them a chance to extend the message of welcome across the city,” says Murray.
The partnership between The Woodruff Arts Center, which is home to the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the High Museum of Art, was the brainchild of Hala Moddelmog, President and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center. “At the Woodruff Arts Center we embrace Refuge Coffee’s message of inclusivity, so our partnership is an easy and logical one,” Moddelmog said. “We invite everyone to visit the Arts Center where art is powerful and delicious coffee is plentiful.” The Woodruff Arts Center embraces a vision similar to Refuge Coffee’s. The tools may be different—beauty and drama and music instead of coffee—but the goal is the same, to welcome everyone to a place of refuge. To make space for every heart and mind to breathe and to dream.
Since a soft opening in October 2021, the new location now is officially open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and for special events, offering a variety of drinks for both coffee and non-coffee enthusiasts. Every beverage or merchandise purchased helps Refuge Coffee Company create refuge for a resettled refugee or immigrant and fulfill its mission of welcome. For more information about Refuge, catering, events and online ordering, visit refugecoffeeco.com. Interviews and images are available by request.
Please contact Jennifer Garrett at jennifer@seesparkgo.com or 770-363-4468.
