Kindness Through Coffee

Coffee is the ultimate equalizer. We give it as gifts, accept it as peace offerings, pour over it in times of distress and take in all its glory in moments of joy. There are coffee runs, coffee breaks and coffee dates. You can even engage your social conscience by only drinking locally roasted, fair trade coffee from third wave shops or forego it and get it extra extra. However, something seems to be missing, almost as if it’s on the tip of our tongue, or perhaps our fingertips. It seems the evolution of any movement must be digital, and coffee is no exception.

In an effort to move coffee forward – as well as our interaction with it – Warwick entrepreneur Paul Haun of local startup Kaneland just launched Nack. “Every morning I would pick up a coffee on my way to work. The thought of buying a cup for a co-worker, secretary or even a client would always pass through my mind,” Paul says. “However, not knowing how they liked their coffee, or if they already grabbed a cup for themselves, it was always difficult to turn this thought into action. I soon came to see these disconnects as missed opportunities to share simple acts of kindness.  I started to think about an app that could enable anyone to express their knack for kindness and forever change and enhance the social experience around coffee.”

Nack is an app where anyone can gift a cup of coffee to anyone else. Imagine gifting a cup to your bestie on their birthday. Owe your coworker a few bucks? Gift them a cup of their favorite joe. Want to give back to the community you live in? Gift a cup of coffee to a specific café. Need to sweeten a deal? You get the point. It all works through PayPal, so it’s legit, quick and delish. The user easily and safely deposits money from their PayPal account to the recipients. “A free cup of coffee will bring a smile to your face and maybe even turn your day around. Coffee is a perfect gift in that it is relatively inexpensive and most people drink at least one cup a day,” says Paul. “Every now and then, I used to buy a cup for the person behind me in the drive-thru. Now with an app like Nack, mobile technology makes it even easier to share some positivity with friends and even strangers instantly from wherever you are. Hopefully, those receiving coffee will be inspired to pay-it-forward and buy a cup for someone else.”