Make the Perfect Latte.  As you sip your morning Latte at the Awaken Café, you and your taste buds will be treated to excellence in the art and science of consistently preparing the perfect cup of coffee with the finest ingredients.  You will quickly become a coffee connoisseur, as you refine your appreciation for the subtleties of espresso coffee.  Pulled with exact timing, each espresso shot will have the ideal “crema” on top and resemble a freshly poured Guinness.  When steamed perfectly, the sugars in the milk are activated bringing out its sweetness and will resemble satin sheets fresh from the makers.  Artistic designs will top your Latte, welcoming you to the beginning of your day!  (Not a coffee drinker?  You’ll love our gourmet teas, too.)

Offer Select Organic Beer and Wines (Coming in Phase Two).  Drop by after work, and unwind with a locally produced, high quality, sulfite free glass of organic wine made by a California vintner.  Share a signature bottle with friends, co-workers, or new friends that you look forward to running into at the Awaken Café.  Beer drinkers will appreciate an array of light and dark locally produced and organically farmed brews.

Exhibit and Sell the Best Art.  Prominently featured on our gallery walls, you will find superb works by the Bay Area’s most talented artists.  Each month, we will seek out and discover artists who have demonstrated exceptional abilities in their chosen medium and give them exposure to an incredible community and our commitment to their success.  Whether you are an experienced art collector or have never bought a piece of art before, at the Awaken Café you will find art that touches you and you will be moved to invest in the perfect painting for that bare wall!

Feature Cutting-Edge Performance and Musical Acts that Appeal to a Wide Audience (Coming in Phase Two).  On weekend evenings, you will find yourself gathering with your friends for a night out on the town to see a popular new band or a eclectic variety act.  And you won’t have to go all the way to the other side of the Bay any more!  At the Awaken Café, we will bring to large and diverse Oakland audiences the Bay Area’s most exciting performance acts which may have been totally unknown to you before.

Be Green.  When you walk through our doors, you will feel great knowing that every dollar you spend is a vote for sustainable ways of doing business.  You will enter a space of innovative green designs and an uncompromising implementation of the latest green business practices.  Every aspect of the Awaken Café is designed to reduce to the absolute bare minimum wasted resources and use of toxic substances.  Here you will find examples and resources for educating yourself on how to expand sustainable practices in your life.

Serve Our Market.  Whether you’re one of the 75,000 people who work in downtown Oakland, part of the 24% of the adult population committed to the health and longevity of the natural world and the environment, a student at one of the many local universities, a member of the East Bay’s Burning Man community, or perhaps someone committed to the blossoming of Oakland, you will be at home at the Awaken Café.  You will have many opportunities to contribute to the Awaken Café and how it serves the community, including participating in quarterly town hall meetings that look to the future of the Awaken Café.  Our mission is to be a resource for the community, to have all people feel welcome, and to listen to you and your needs!

Transform Downtown Oakland.  Downtown Oakland can seem like a deserted wasteland after dark despite the presence of a handful of exciting organizations and venues.  The Awaken Café will be the hub for an emergence of Oakland as a destination for those seeking community, culture and the arts.  We will tie Oakland together through continuously developing and expanding strategic relationships with local business owners, activist organizations, and arts organizations with common interests and pursuits.  You will find at our café a space to socialize, exchange ideas, and build lasting social and business networks.  As a member of our community, you will be part of the emergence of a new downtown Oakland that is healthy and inviting to all people!

Staff the Café with Amazing, Highly Trained People.  Plan to be known at the Awaken Café.  With a strong commitment to excellence in customer service, our staff will be trained to learn your name, what you are up to in life, and introduce you to other members of our community.  As world-class Baristas, our staff will be trained to consistently create excellence in the art of espresso.  Aligned and committed to the vision of the Awaken Café and paid above average wages, you can count on our staff to have a working knowledge of our sustainable practices, the art we exhibit, the performances we hold, and the community in which we operate our enterprise.

Create Our Vision of the Future.  The Awaken Café and you are working together to co-create a future where there is an abundance of thriving businesses committed to making a difference in the world by serving the community.  It is our belief that human beings inherently want to be connected to one another, be responsible for the world around them, and creatively expressed.  Come down and join us in realizing our vision, and have a cup of coffee while you’re here!