Avenir Cafés & Roastery

Kristin is co-founder of the two Avenir cafés and the associated roastery in Lüneburg. Together with around ten colleagues, she runs the company as a collective - without hierarchical structures and with shared responsibility.

Their wise approach combines ecological and social regeneration: Avenir sources organically grown coffee, pays fair wages to producers and at the same time emphasises the importance of offering high-quality coffee at prices that are accessible to many. Exclusivity is at odds with the aim of designing both the coffee and the Avenir as spaces of openness.

The internal organisation is just as crucial: Kristin and her team create a working environment that serves people - with fair wages, paid holidays, needs-based working hours and equal participation. This makes Avenir not only a place for good coffee, but also a model for a sustainable and fair working culture.

In this interview, Kristin shares honest insights into the challenges of running a purpose-driven business like Avenir and what it means to stick to your values: After all, processing and selling an organically grown and fairly traded product that comes to Lüneburg from completely different parts of the world, offering it at affordable prices and creating a needs-orientated workspace in the process is no easy feat. All the better that Kristin and her team are happy to share their knowledge and experience with us.