Recipe for success

Recipe for success

Martin Coffeehouse building libraries one cup at a time

BY LISA SAVAGE

phrase common to missionaries can describe John and Courtney Sellers: Your mission is wherever you are.

Eighteen months ago, the couple opened the Martin Coffeehouse so the people of the city could enjoy a cup of coffee while raising money for literacy projects in Nepal.

For every cup of coffee sold, 10 cents goes to literacy projects. With more than 50,000 cups sold so far, the couple has built their first library in Nepal. “We’re so excited to see the success so far,” John Sellers says.

John and Courtney Sellers opened Martin Coffeehouse 18 months ago.

WHY NEPAL?

Missions are nothing new to the Sellers. John Sellers grew up in a family of missionaries. His aunt and uncle were missionaries to Nepal, and he learned early in life the Nepalese children were doomed to failure without better educational resources.

But tragedy changed his family’s course in Nepal. His aunt and uncle were killed in a plane crash several years ago while serving in the third-world country, and his grandparents eventually took over the mission in Nepal. Six years ago, his parents flew to Nepal, and they are now also missionaries.

“I grew up hearing about Nepal all my life,” John Sellers says. “I always knew that was going to a big part of my life.”

Courtney Sellers, too, grew up in the mission field, going wherever her father’s evangelism took the family.

The couple met in college at the University of Tennessee at Martin and learned they had much in common. John Sellers proposed to her while in Nepal, and they were married three years ago. “I wanted Courtney to see Nepal before we married because it’s such a huge part of what defines my life,” he says.

While their heart is in Nepal, they also wanted to have an impact at home. “We struggled with how we could make an impact there, while making an impact here, too,” he says.

The couple first started a faith-based nonprofit organization, Letters in Motion, to support literacy projects by delivering school supplies and letters of encouragement to children in schools, orphanages and children’s homes. More than 15,000 letters have been delivered.

But the project had no mechanism for raising money for the library projects.

Students at the library at the Collins Children’s Home in Kathmandu, Nepal. The library was built by funds raised through selling cups of coffee at Martin Coffeehouse.

WHY COFFEE?

“It just seemed like the perfect way to bring in our community to help with our mission,” he says. “We wanted to serve and inspire our local community by offering organic, fair-trade coffee with a global purpose. We couldn’t think of a better fit.” Many people like the idea of helping others, John Sellers says. “We wanted to make it as easy for people to make an impact as drinking a cup of coffee,” he says. “So we thought ‘What if we donate 10 cents of every cup to literacy projects?’ There’s no pressure, and it’s engaging our community to help others.”

The Sellers had no experience in the food service industry. John Sellers was in marketing, and his wife was a schoolteacher. They learned how to brew just the right blend, and John Sellers put his marketing skills to work.

Martin Coffeehouse opened in August 2017 on South Lindell Street. The shop is popular with the college crowd, and WK&T’s Wi-Fi is available for customers. It’s a charming addition to the revitalized historic downtown.

The success of the coffeehouse allowed Courtney Sellers to leave her teaching position, and the business is now the full-time job of the couple. The focus is on fresh-made natural foods, with some unique items such as tortellini soup, pies with homemade crusts and sandwiches. “We wanted to have a good and thoughtful lunch menu,” John Sellers says. “We have tried our hardest to be intentional in the items we serve.”

For instance, they use real pumpkins, apples, and other fruits and vegetables in the fresh-baked recipes. They offer cold brew, French press and other brew types, as well as a wide variety of coffee, espresso, lemonade and imported Nepali teas.

“The people of Martin have responded well and are enjoying the coffeehouse,” John Sellers says. “The more the Martin Coffeehouse grows in our local community, the more it is effecting change in a rural community abroad.”

So far, Martin Coffeehouse has completed one library, a project for the Collins Children’s Home in Kathmandu, Nepal. A multipurpose room was designated as a space for reading, studying and education for about $5,000. The students are able to use the resources of the library to develop their reading skills and to focus on education.

“The people of Martin purchased 50,000 cups of coffee in less than one year, and we were able to complete our first library project,” John Sellers says. “That says a lot about our community, and we’re really glad to be a part of it.”

For more about Martin Coffeehouse, visit www.martincoffeehouse.com or check for updates on Facebook and Instagram. For more about Letters in Motion, the faith-based nonprofit organization, visit www.sustainableliteracy.com.