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The Pamplemousse Project, located in White Plains at 124 Mamaroneck Ave. (Route 125), opened on Thursday, Dec. 1, and is already popular, according to co-owner Lydia Kris.
The idea for the store was born when Kris and her husband, Gary, who sold their first company before the pandemic, decided that they wanted to combine their desire to fundraise money for community organizations with a business idea they held together.
"We’ve always felt there was a glaring need for a good coffee shop in White Plains," Kris said, also saying that they decided that they would start the coffee shop and donate the net profits to local charities, using the rest of the money made to pay employees, rent, and other business expenses.
In order to receive money, local organizations can fill out an application for a grant on the store's website, Kris said. The idea is to provide one-time grants to organizations to pay for specific programs or something they need help with.
The store will also let regular customers in on the process by having people vote on which organizations the store should donate to, Kris said.
The coffee shop is willing to donate to a wide variety of organizations that benefit both White Plains and Westchester County as a whole, including groups that focus on helping the hungry, ending homelessness, education, and the arts, according to Kris.
Both co-owners are confident that the store will be successful enough to allow for regular donations, and want to provide a space that community members feel comfortable in.
"We are a cafe that people are going to come to and support because they love our coffee, they love hanging out here, and we’re a great space," Kris said.
The new coffee shop will sell a variety of hot and cold drinks including frappes, iced refresher drinks, tea, lemonades, chai, all types of espresso drinks, and brewed coffee. Additionally, the store will sell pastries such as muffins and scones, as well as a mix of candy from the store's "candy wall."
As for the name, "Pamplemousse" came from a nickname for Kris's dog, Kris said.
"It’s kind of a nice metaphor for what our concept is because our dog is this very sweet rescue dog, we love her dearly, but she has some challenges…we thought that it's kind of similar to what this project is about. We love our community, we love White Plains, but there are challenges in our community," Kris said.
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