Coffee News

Coffee shop with mission to Be Kinder to open on Dallas' Greenville Ave

Jane Gow, founder of Be Kinder Coffee

Jane Gow

A coffee shop with a charitable mission is opening in Dallas: Called Be Kinder Coffee, it will open its first shop at 6500 Greenville Ave. this summer.

The brand, which currently sells at Denton Farmers Market, is a nonprofit whose goal is to give underserved people, mostly refugee women from Afghanistan and Ukraine, the chance to get a job, good pay, and learn the language.

The organization empowers people with job opportunities and education outside of the shop as well, through classes to help them learn English as a Second Language.

Owner is Jane Huong Nguyen Gow, a refugee from Vietnam herself with an IT background, who wanted to give back.

"At this stage in my life I need to be where I have more purpose in life and be more creative and intentional," she says. "I know what it is like to carry the title of refugee, to come over and struggle and eventually make it to where I am today."

Their location is deliberate, as the building is home to two of their partners: Disciples of the Way Ministries and the International Rescue Committee. Both organizations help with legal services, medical, housing and employment services.

This means no commute will be required for the baristas, who do not likely have a means of transportation just yet. Be Kinder Coffee also partners with Catholic Charities on their mission to support refugees.

The menu will feature all the classic coffee drinks, with their star being their Vietnamese cold brew.

They plan to get breakfast items from acclaimed La Casita Bakery, plus granola bars and overnight oats, with sprouted gluten-free oats and coconut milk.

For lunch, they will offer sandwiches and salads, with vegan and gluten-free options.

They'll initially be open Monday-Friday, 7 am-3 pm, with plans to open at weekends in the future, as well as plans for more locations and a roasting facility down the road.

Gow says she also wants to be move involved with farmers in her native country of Vietnam.

"I want to go back to my country and build a relationship with the farmers - it will be a full circle," she says.

Deli News

Gourmet market Ari's Pantry to open in Dallas' Trinity Groves

Ari's Pantry

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A new gourmet grocery is coming to Trinity Groves: Ari's Pantry, the market launched in Oak Cliff by husband-and-wife Ari and Amy Lowenstein, will open a second location in West Dallas’ Trinity Groves, with a grand opening celebration on Saturday, November 30.

Located at 3011 Gulden Ln. #119 in the space that was once home to Potato Flats who remembers them, the Trinity Groves store will offer: pasta, olive oil, vinegars, preserves, candy, bread, crackers, cheese, meats, pizza dough, fresh pasta, housewares, cocktail ingredients, novelty kitchen gadgets, spices, prepared foods, fresh pesto and Ari’s own tomato sauce.

“We are excited to open our newest location at Trinity Groves joining the great businesses already there and the wave of new ventures opening in the development,” Ari Lowenstein says in a release. “With this location we will reach a new audience in West Dallas and be closer to our customers coming from downtown and the north.”

The couple opened their first location in Winnetka Heights at 1307 ½ W. Davis St. in December 2023 to fulfill Ari's passion for all things Italy. The idea was a small Italian food store with recipe-ready staples, with a hyper-local vibe. It has since blossomed into a general-purpose gourmet stop.

In addition to the food staples for sale found at their Bishop Arts location, Ari’s Trinity Groves location will also include a commercial catering kitchen that will enable them to provide full-service catering, prepared meal pick-up, pasta classes, and private dinners.

“Amy and Ari bring something new and special to this development as our first partner to offer consumer packaged goods made by people and companies outside of Trinity Groves,” said Sam Romano, Partner at West Dallas Investments, parent company of Trinity Groves. “They are part of the vision we have for the future of Trinity Groves that will combine innovative, up and coming chefs and restauranteurs with lifestyle and entertainment options like pickleball, bocce ball, popup events, arcade game play and additional retail partners.”

The Ari's empire doesn't stop here: Their goal is to open multiple locations "in all corners of DFW and beyond," and that includes a location in the Cyprus Waters community in Coppell, slated to open in spring 2025.

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