Kawa is a mobile app, but truly, it is more of an idea.
Coffee was discovered in Ethiopia around a millennium ago. It took time for those beans to spread, but every time it was introduced somewhere, it became more than just a drink, it became a cultural habit. The very first name given to coffee was qahwa. The same word is still in use in Arabic. An easier spelling, as Kawa, takes us back to the very basic Japanese vocabulary too, it means river.
So what were we trying to do with this word, this app, this idea? We were trying to prove that workshops, artists, and craftsmen could exist in cities that get larger and larger, and more and more concentrated at the same time. As our interest for coffee was growing, we realized that we could only find happiness in the cup of an independent coffee shop. We are not baristas, and we are not famous bean hunters, but we looked at the whole picture of coffee here in Hong Kong, and there was something that could be done.
Before coming to every smartphone, Kawa is a project to connect independent coffee shops via one platform. We connect them, but they remain unique. Each coffee shop keeps its own coffee, its own brand and beans, its own technique, atmosphere, and its own signature. We don’t touch anything when the picture is perfect. The mosaic of coffees, with beans from different parts of the world, and techniques from different baristas, all of them rightfully skilled, was something to protect rather than something to replace.
Kawa takes the shape of a mobile app, and it is a platform where you can locate coffee shops on the map, and find information about the place or the coffee. We try to give everything there is to know about the coffee shop, apart from the taste of their coffee. For the taste, you will need to visit the coffee shop.
We bring social media to what is the most social activity in the entire world: having a coffee. This is how we connect, this is where we build stronger relations. Bottom line, coffee is just like our smartphone, something very personal, but the most necessary thing to connect people with each other. Bridging coffee with mobile apps became the most obvious thing to do.
We designed different kinds of plans, for different kinds of people. You will be able to purchase a plan by inputting you credit card once, then you can easily upgrade your plan.
Kawa will help and promote independent retailers, as it is a common voice for crafted coffee. It will help them compete against large industrial coffee makers, which benefit from a strong network and fully integrated services. Everyone at Kawa is working hard, every single day. Our approach is honest, and so is our final product. We can’t wait to show it to you.
