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Specialty Fair-Trade Coffee Brand ‘Coffee Uplifts People’ Brings Its Unique Hospitality Experience to The Africa Center

Posted January 24, 2026

Specialty Fair-Trade Coffee Brand ‘Coffee Uplifts People’ Brings Its Unique Hospitality Experience to The Africa Center

(New York, NY - January 29, 2026) - The Africa Center announces the opening of CUP @ The Africa Center, a new sit-down cafe in partnership with Brooklyn-based coffee brand Coffee Uplifts People (CUP).

Located on the ground floor at The Africa Center (1280 Fifth Avenue), CUP @ The Africa Center offers freshly roasted and cold brew coffee, a selection of CUP loose leaf teas, refreshing sips (including sorrel, lemonade, bottled water, ginger beer, fresh squeezed orange juice), and specialty baked goods.

Coffee Uplifts People direct sources globally from some of the richest and most premium coffee single origins in accordance with their fair-trade values and DIRE Principles (Diversity, Inclusion, Representation and Equity). Their diverse network of coffee farms can be found in Ethiopia, Peru, Mexico and Sumatra. Co-founded in 2020 by globally syndicated radio personality Angela Yee, Tony Forte, and LaRon Batchelor, the brand also operates from their flagship cafe in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn.

Revenue generated from sales at CUP @ The Africa Center will be used to create pipelines that increase the amount of fair-trade certified coops within Africa’s Arabica coffee producing regions of Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda.

CUP @ The Africa Center’s operating hours are Wednesday – Friday (7:00 am to 3:00 pm), and Saturday – Sunday (8:00 am to 4:00 pm).

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About The Africa Center
The Africa Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution committed to the principle that a just and peaceful world begins with a flourishing Africa in deep communion with its diaspora. Located in New York City, The Africa Center convenes artists, creatives, cultural leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to shape artistic expression, narratives, investments, and partnerships critical to the prosperous and secure future of Africa and its diaspora.