A new family-owned coffee shop in Lemon Grove is bringing the community together and making a difference in the lives of others.
Inside the Art Deco Business at the corner of Broadway and Lemon Grove Avenue is Lemon Grove Coffee.
"We are right next to the big lemon and Lemon Grove and right next to the trolley spot, so as soon as you enter Lemon Grove, we're kind of one of the first few things you see," Casey Daugherty said.
Owned by Casey and her sister-in-law Hannah Calo-Witt, Lemon Grove Coffee has everything you might expect from a neighborhood coffee joint, but there's something else that's creating a buzz.
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"The coffee has been a huge hit," Calo-Witt said.
"We are constantly asked about our coffee," Daugherty added. "All the coffee, all the espresso, our cold brew, our iced coffee — we used Talitha for everything."
Talitha Coffee is the San Diego-based company behind the beans.
"Talitha is a specialty coffee company that exists to employ, train and provide holistic support for survivors of trafficking," Jenny Barber, who helped found the business with her husband in 2022, said.
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Barber had worked in anti-trafficking doing advocacy and outreach for 14 years. She was frustrated that many survivors ended up back on the streets because of barriers to employment.
That's when the couple's passion and a hobby collided to present a solution.
"My husband started off roasting coffee as a hobby. He started off with a popcorn popper on our stove top, and we realized really quickly he was great at it," Barber said. "I was going out to the streets in the middle of the night and reaching out to these survivors and seeing them leave and return, and I was beginning to feel really disheartened by it. He had this idea of what if we start a coffee company, where we can actually take what we have and bring it to the table to make a difference."
So they did — and Talitha is making an impact through sales and employment. They have hired five survivors over the last year and created a care network, partnering with local experts and nonprofits like like Justice 180, Alabaster Jar Project and GenerateHope, to help survivors recover, re-enter the workplace and ultimately — thrive.
"It's an incredible thing to see survivors take pride in knowing that they were brave, and they took a bold step and now, not only is their life going to be changed, but the generations that come after them will be changed as well," Barber said.
This product with a purpose seems to be a perfect blend for business owners.
"For us, working with someone who had such a vision and such an important role within helping victims of sex trafficking was huge for us," Daugherty said. "The fact that it's really great coffee, it tastes delicious, it's roasted in San Diego, it's a local company, is just like kind of the frosting on top."
How the community has responded to Talitha especially means a lot to Barber because she herself is a survivor of childhood exploitation.
"To see people, whether they know it or not, that they're making an impact in their changing lives is just incredible," Barber said.
Barber is now serving hope to others in Lemon Grove and beyond — one cup at a time.
Talitha sells wholesale and by subscription, and it's expanding nationwide.
Barber says their five-year goal is to employ 1,000 survivors and multiply the impact they are making through their partnerships.
