Places To Support a Cause By Grabbing a Drink

Do you want to do something charitable? Consider drinking more coffee and booze. Indiana-based brands chose their favorite charities so that your 12-ounce purchase isn’t only about the caffeine or the ABV. Here are five beverage places that support worthy causes, all made in the Hoosier State.

NINE LIVES CAFÉ

Furry felines meet foamy cappuccinos at Nine Lives Café, where a Maine Coon or a tabby might crawl over your computer for attention. Yes, this can happen to you with joyful purrs and tummy rubs. Cat cafés started in Taipei, Taiwan, almost 25 years ago, according to TimeOut.com. However, the trend took off in Japan as a response to no-pet policies in apartments. People could get their meows on without having to be an owner. In the United States, the establishments turned into adoption centers while giving them housing, food and a litterbox. Located on a Fountain Square corner, Nine Lives is Indy’s first kitty java and tea house. Customers make reservations through the website and must sign a liability waiver before proceeding to the café for kit petting and boba tea. Should an American shorthair steal your heart, the beanery works with Indy Adopts, a nonprofit specializing in mousers seeking adoption. There are fees, typically around $100, offsetting the cost of spaying or neutering and shots. It’s a small price for a love muffin to go with your cold brew. Visit NineLivesCatCafe.com for hours, menus and photos of available kitties.

photography: @metazoabrewing

METAZOA BREWING COMPANY

In 2016, Dave Worthington opened Metazoa Brewing Company in downtown Indianapolis along with a dog park. Animal lovers can bring Fido to romp—if Fido plays well with others— while sipping on award-winning brews in the open-concept brewery. Cat lovers can join in as well as those with more exotic critters— snakes, lizards, goats and llamas—but need to call ahead. Since opening their taps six years ago, Metazoa has donated 5 percent of its profits to selected animal and wildlife agencies including the Humane Society of Indianapolis, Prison Greyhounds (which provides training to the racing breed before adoption into forever homes) and Friends of Ferdinand (which rehabs and rehomes horses instead of sending them to slaughter). According to the brewery’s website, by the end of 2019 they had given away more than $100,000 to help animals. In 2021, the craft brewer won the coveted Great American Beer Festival prizes for brewer and brewery. Not only do you help animals, but it tastes great, too. For more information and hours, visit MetazoaBrewing.com.

Cat cafés started in Taipei, Taiwan, almost 25 years ago, according to TimeOut.com. However, the trend took off in Japan as a response to no-pet policies in apartments. People could get their meows on without having to be an owner. 

photography: @calvinfletcherscoff

CALVIN FLETCHER'S COFFEE CO.

Indianapolis’s fame comes from auto racing and sports, not coffee. That changed when the father-and-son team Doug and Jeff Linsey opened Calvin Fletcher’s Coffee Co. along then developing Fletcher Place in 2009. The duo dreamed of creating a community coffee shop that not only made great java but gave back to the city it serves. In the beginning, a tip jar stood at the counter, and from that collection, contributions were made to local charities. The Linseys created the Calvin Fletcher’s Coffee Company Charitable Foundation three years ago to support smaller nonprofits. Their donations give back to hyper-local charities such as Pink Ribbon Connection, which assists breast cancer patients, and community theater Garfield Shakespeare Company. According to their website, the caffeine emporium has donated $35,000 to more than 30 causes. For information and hours, visit CFCoffeeCompany.com.

photography: @peacewaterwinery

PEACE + WATER WINERY

In 2015, wine lovers Scott and Laura Burton decided to open Peace + Water Winery, a locally owned California winery. (This means they grow their grapes on the West Coast.) It seemed a natural fit for the entrepreneurial couple, who loved exploring Napa Valley and tasting the wine varietals along the famed Silverado Trail. According to the website, on a trip to a coffee shop with their eight kids filling a yellow 1966 Volkswagen van, Scott watched as Laura did the well-known “pay it forward” coffee buy. In other words, she paid for the coffee drink for the car behind them. At that moment, the Burtons decided to donate 50 percent of the company’s net profits. Additionally, should any fundraiser be held at one of their three Indianapolis locations (Carmel, Fishers, downtown), the family gives another 10 percent to the cause. While in the past they have contributed to several organizations such as Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, Alzheimer’s Associations and Indy Reads, this year the family of 10 agreed that all gifts shall benefit IndianaSupportsUkraine.com. For more information on the winery, wines, hours, tasting and events, visit PeaceWaterWinery.com.

photography: @motw.coffee

MOTW COFFEE SHOP & PASTRIES

During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, January 2021 to be exact, MOTW (Muslims of the World) Coffee Shop opened in West Indy on 38th Street near Lafayette. In May 2022, MOTW opened its second outpost in Fishers. The owner, Sajjad Shah, grew up in Indy and Hamilton County, and began the process as an Instagram account in high school, which now has nearly 700,000 followers. Its sole purpose was to have Muslims worldwide share their stories. In both locations, Shah created a real space allowing individuals of all communities to spend time together to have delicious Hoosier-made coffee—Tinker Street Coffee—and freshly made French-style pastries. A few months ago, after a soft opening for the Fishers location, Shah converted a 1950 classic French Citroen truck into a java mobile for private events and parties. Last winter, Shah built CARE packages for the homeless. They have also raised $1,000 for a basketball tournament, donated funds for the Julian Center with Butler University’s Alpha Chi Omega, and completed a cycling event that gave more than $200,000 to Pure Hands, a charity to help famine-starved families in Yemen. For hours and special-event information, visit their Instagram @motw.coffee.