Revolution Is Brewing ... in Cafes + Our 10 Must-Reads

This OZY original series takes you to the cafés around the world that are emerging as theaters of social, political and economic change.

From mocha to matcha and more, cafés today offer customers more variety in their cups than ever before. But increasingly, there’s more on their menus than just coffee. Sure, cafes have been passive hubs of debate and discussion forever. Now, they’re actively shaping themselves as theaters of social, economic and political change.

Across the world, in Cairo and Cologne, Salt Lake City and Spokane, Bishkek and Bogota, cafes are reinventing what it means to serve coffee. They’re emerging as the thermometers measuring change in their societies. Whether you love your morning cuppa or are just keen to keep tabs on the pulse of society, this OZY original series tells you: What’s Brewing Next.

The Windy City is known for its independent coffee shops, but this Logan Square café with a purpose stands out.

It’s not unusual that a customer wanders into Sip of Hope, a coffee shop in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, simply looking for a frothy latte or a warm pastry. And that’s OK by Jonny Boucher — but it’s not really why he opened the café.

Sip of Hope is an extension of Hope for the Day, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Boucher in 2011 that is centered on proactive suicide prevention and mental health education. With more than 300 visitors a day, it’s a gathering place where coffee lovers can talk openly about their mental health struggles — something every barista on Boucher’s staff is trained to do. It’s also the first café in the world to donate 100 percent of its proceeds toward suicide prevention and mental health.

At a growing number of silent cafés around the world, deaf waiters and restaurateurs are bringing their world to people through food.

On a weekday evening at 1000 & 1 Signes, a Moroccan café on the Rue de Charonne in Paris, France, every walk-in follows the same pattern. They enter, in pairs or small groups, ask for a table and take a step back when they realize the waiter can’t hear them. It’s a process expertly navigated by Sid Nouar, 1000 & 1 Signes’ waiter and founder: With a few gestures and a swiftly maneuvered menu, he communicates not just the restaurant’s unusual nature — the waiter and cooks are all deaf, and patrons order by pointing, signing or writing their selections on a whiteboard — but also that everyone is welcome. This is a place to eat, yes, but it’s also a place to learn.