Cafe Velo Offers Up Bike-centric, Community Conscious Fare

Cafe Velo does not aim to create more consumers, they wish to create more enthusiasts. From a 180 square foot micro-cafe in the heart of downtown Portland, complete with a walk-up take-out window, Cafe Velo crafts up perfect cups of single origin coffees, pastries and lunch fare. The cafe originated as a coffee bike—literally a converted Dutch cargo bike—serving the same single origin brewed-to-order coffees to the food obsessed masses at local farmers' markets. Queues formed not only because of the cool bike and the stimulant, but also because each fragrant, toasty brew held a secret connection to something more. With every caffeinated sip, a story and a connection to a community geographically far away emerged. Rick Wilson, a proprietor of the cafe, focused specifically on single origin coffees because of the preparation and respect to the farmers and workers who so lovingly cared for the crops. By selecting local roasters including Stumptown and Trailhead Roasters, a feedback loop was created, relationships established. Cafes are renowned for creating and sustaining a small community amongst patrons. It is an even greater feat when a cafe can create a larger community with coffee farmers around the globe. Indeed, every ingredient in the cafe can be traced to its origin from the Portland farmers' markets, Guatemalan coffee farms, or a local backyard.

Bicycle enthusiasts, don't fret: the original Cafe Velo trike can still be spotted at Portland farmers' markets. Bicycles remain a crucial component of the Cafe Velo business, namely as the mode of delivery for all supplies into the cafe. Produce, flour and beans come into the store via cargo bike, and judging by the cluster of bicycles seen near the cafe, out the door on bike from satiated customers. The use of a converted bicycle as opposed to delivery van is another small measure of the cafe's sustainable practices.

From the bike to a bricks and mortar shop, community cultivation is at the heart of Cafe Velo's ethos. With the permanence of a cafe location, Velo created an expanded menu including floral stamped flatbread sandwiches and satisfyingly simple historically peasant-style foods. Modeled after small cafes in Europe that offer conviviality and community in equal measure, Velo is not trying to recreate itself in homage to the conglomerate-styled cafe. The concept for the cafe focuses instead on being true to itself, true to availability and capability, and a place that reflects the neighborhood which surrounds it. The food itself is affordable, healthful, sustainable and very local—the ultimate amalgamation of a fresh alternative to the overly processed lunches that comprise many workers' noontime meals. Although the foods may appear simple, the investment in time and quality add the flourish.

Cafe Velo is a unique business, not solely because of its humble size or origins as a velocipede. What makes the cafe an enviable business model is the solid commitment to community that extends from land to hand. Strong relationships are the foundation upon which the cafe is built. There is an additional education factor to the business, too. Cafe Velo give patrons the knowledge of exactly where the coffee comes from, who farms it and how the community benefits from personal experience. These are true stories with passionate principles and not verbiage from a pamphlet. By educating customers through a steaming cup of coffee or a delectable falafel flatbread, a connection is made: a human relationship can be served warm and tasty. In a retreat from our previously frenetic consumer culture, people want to learn and to feel that their choice is impactful in a positive manner. Cafe Velo offers the customer not just sustenance, but also substance.

Cafe Velo is proof that in business, less can indeed be more. The scale of the cafe is comfortable; the ingredients are minimal and intentional. We are reminded that we can consume less and consume more responsibly. This sustainable business is not just about creating a small environmental footprint, it is also about creating a model that sustains people economically and creates viable communities. From a cafe in Portland where strangers' elbows bump gracefully in line, to a tiered coffee plantation in Central America, Cafe Velo believes communities can be cultivated, and a cafe spawned as a converted cargo bike can be at the heart of this connectedness.