ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This month, a new partnership was launched between a local coffee company and local artists.
Every season Kahwa Coffee plans to unveil a new coffee can designed by a St. Petersburg artist, with all proceeds from the sale of the cans going back into the arts community.
Chad Mize is used to painting large-scale murals, so it was a change of pace when he was asked to design the first coffee can.
His design consisted of everything from smiling Christmas Trees to aliens, to purple monsters.
“These are just characters I work with all the time, I constantly paint them over and over and over, so I just want to leave my mark,” Mize said.
100% of the net proceeds from the sale of these cans will go back to local artists through the non-profit St. Petersburg Arts Alliance.
“I definitely think the art community plays a part in this area, and so tying together art and commerce is very important. It just keeps St. Pete special,” Mize said.
St. Petersburg Arts Alliance CEO Terry Marks said the money raised would support the St. Petersburg Arts Endowment.
“And that endowment results in funds for individual artists, art organizations. It’s a fund that we can use for all kinds of things to help artists across the board,” Marks said.
Kahwa Coffee owner Sarah Perrier was a performance artist before she went into the coffee business.
“The arts are such a big part of our community here in St. Pete, and that makes a more vibrant city,” Perrier said. “That’s a big part of why we love this area, and we are happy to support it.”
Mize is proud to be the first artist in what promises to be a long-running series. Every season the alliance plans to pick a new St. Petersburg artist to have the opportunity to design a coffee can.
“I’m honored to be a part of it, and I can’t wait to see who the next artist is,” Mize said.
Perrier said the support has already been overwhelming. Come for coffee, leave with art, and know your purchase went to a great cause.
“You know, maybe you can’t give $200, or you can’t give $500 to an organization, but if you can give every time you buy a can of coffee, you give a little bit," Perrier said. "It makes everyone kind of feel part of it and feel good about what they are doing."
Marks thinks it's remarkable.
“Hopefully, it will encourage other retailers within St. Petersburg and beyond to think of ways that they can take a portion of their proceeds and help non-profit organizations,” he said.
