Main dans la Main (Hand in Hand) was launched in the summer of 2020. The mission of this initiative is to get involved in our community and support causes close to our hearts by creating a unique bag of coffee. Three partners are involved in this initiative – us, an artist, and a charity. We create a unique coffee blend, a label is designed by the artist, and $0.50 is donated to the chosen charity for every bag of coffee sold.
National Skate Youth
Skateboarding in Indigenous Communities
In collaboration with artist Lebicar, the fifth Main dans la main bag supports Nations Skate Youth, an organization that travels around Turtle Island to bring skateboarding to indigenous communities, offering a way to connect with young people.
By sharing their stories about the benefits of skateboarding, they hope to inspire young people to discover new passions and build supportive communities. The funds raised from this café will help finance workshops in 2025. The organization has long dreamed of visiting Australia to connect with local Indigenous youth, where the skateboarding scene is booming.
“Sharing what we do at Nations around the world is a dream for us,” concludes Rosie Archie.
Amount raised: $1101
Young musicians of the world
Music as a tool for social transformation among young people
The fourth Main dans la Main coffee bag aims to support Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya, the Jeunes Musiciens du Monde (Young Musicians of the World) school in India. Using music as a lever for social transformation, Jeunes Musiciens du Monde skillfully combines musical learning with traditional education to build young people's confidence and foster their academic success. The label was designed by artist Gaspard Eden, known for his graphic design work, including visual projects with Bon Enfant, Flore Laurentienne, and Men I Trust. He draws inspiration from the counterculture aesthetics of the 1960s and 70s for his creations.
Amount raised:
$872.50
Club le Grand V
Reducing inequalities through sport
When you buy a bag, $0.50 goes directly to this fantastic initiative by Le Vestiaire gym, which offers free functional training sessions to youth in several neighborhoods to help them grow and thrive in sports outside of school. The label was designed by the talented illustrator and graphic designer Carolina Espinosa. New to Parc-Ex, the whole team is proud to collaborate with our neighborhood!
Amount raised:
$2,168.00
Good morning
The Dillon Ojo Lifeline Foundation
For our second coffee, we chose the Dillon Ojo Lifeline Foundation. We created Bon Matin, ZAB's first dark roast—a blend of three origins: Brazil (Joyeux Roger), Peru (Huadquiña), and Colombia (La Esperanza). The Bon Matin label was designed in-house this time by our graphic designer, Marc-Étienne.
The Dillon Ojo Lifeline Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Elaine Charles and Francis Ojo in memory of their son, Dillon Ojo, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 23. Dillon had an exceptional snowboarding career, and the foundation was created to provide underprivileged youth with access to sports programs, camps, and other physical activities. Giving young people the opportunity to be active, play, and be outdoors is very important to us.
Amount raised
$3272
Meky Ottawa
Native Women's Shelter of Montreal
For the first Main dans la Main coffee bag, we collaborated with Atikamekw artist Meky Ottawa. We asked her to create the illustration for the coffee bag and to choose the organization that would receive the money raised from the coffee sales. Meky Ottawa chose the Iskweu Project—an initiative of the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal. "The Project aims to address an immediate need for assistance expressed by families and loved ones in the case of a missing Indigenous woman or girl (trans, Two-Spirit)."
Amount raised
$1370.50
Interview conducted with Meky Ottawa
https://zabcafe.com/blogs/zab-blog/entrevue-avec-meky-ottawa