How many times have you stopped by your neighborhood coffee shop today? This week? This month? We don’t have to tell you that those espressos add up. But what if you made them add up in a good way, philanthropically? Where each shot of caffeine you swig in the morning — or during that dreaded 3 PM low — actually helps a family in need?

With the new FEED Shop & Café in Brooklyn’s DUMBO district, you can do just that. It’s the first retail space for FEED, the hunger-fighting charity founded by Lauren Bush Lauren whose burlap bags are a city-street constant. And true to the company’s mission, every single thing in the store gives back, from the coffee to the baked goods. There’s a counter up front that prominently boasts the number of meals donated from the purchases made. A coffee equals one meal. If you snap up one of the magazines on sale, that’s three meals. Other items go for more. Bush Lauren’s injected a feel-good community element, too: FEED Shop & Café will also play host to various workshops through the year.

Here, we talk to Bush Lauren on this latest venture and learn a few lessons about what it takes to persevere as an entrepreneur.

The idea to open this store came from…
It has always been a dream of mine. At its core, the store is a way to increase our impact. With another channel and with everything in the store (even the coffee) donating meals, we are able to feed more children and increase awareness. It also provides our customers with a way to see and feel the product and experience the impact in a way that isn’t really possible online.

And the different ways in which it will give back…
Everything — and I mean everything — in the FEED Shop & Café donates meals. Whether you buy a coffee, a croissant, a FEED 1 Bag or an item from our selection of curated, third-party goods, you’ll be able to measure your impact. As an in-store exclusive, we also created a FEED Brooklyn Tote, which gives meals locally. We’re also giving back in additional ways with a rotating selection of curated goods, called FEED Finds. These finds are all made by like-minded companies and individuals, many of whom donate a portion of their profits to other organizations and causes.

The inspiration behind the interiors…
The interiors very much mirror FEED’s aesthetic. A warm, natural and industrial vibe, with a touch of femininity. You can see it in all of our existing products. The history of the Empire Stores building also provided a lot of inspiration. Originally, it was the first commercial production facility for roasted coffee, which is perfect. If you look closely, you can even see some of the markings on the wood columns from counting and sorting, which we left there intentionally to lend some history and emotion to the aesthetic.

Why DUMBO…
The Empire Stores location really just felt right. The location, the history, the fellow businesses moving in, it all felt perfect. Beyond that, DUMBO is stunning, and it’s changing rapidly. We felt that the DUMBO community, as well as the tremendous tourist foot traffic, would be incredibly receptive to the FEED cause.

Some FEED Find highlights…
You absolutely must come to the store, if only to touch the artisan-made alpaca teddy bear. It is the softest thing you will ever feel. We can’t keep it on the shelves! I also love our excellent selection of books and lovely and versatile hand-woven baskets.

Upcoming summer workshops…
We have a lot of exciting things in the works for the summer. Stay tuned on our social channels to hear the final details! But I can tell you there will definitely be kids music sessions, crafting workshops and some very relevant panel discussions.

The most exciting part about heading up your own business…
Seeing it come to life each and every day. It’s truly a team effort, and I’m inspired every day in the office — and now in the store — seeing the ideas we all come up with together, the new designs, the customer feedback and the resulting impact we’ve been able to make on the world. It’s truly awe-inspiring to see something I dreamt up as a college student grow into a movement. Seeing a FEED bag on the street is something that will never cease to amaze me.

And the most challenging part…
The challenges change day to day, and we always take a team approach to solving them. But overall, our cause is our biggest challenge that we’re trying to solve every day. Hunger is a massive issue and, since there is enough food produced each year to feed everyone on the planet, it shouldn’t exist at all. This reality always leaves us always wanting to do more. At FEED we are truly out to change the world.

And how I overcome the above…
By innovating and expanding. From the beginning, I wanted FEED to provide a tangible way for people, and especially young people, to engage with a very real and important issue. By creating new shapes and styles with new materials, we offer people of all kinds, regardless of style preferences, the ability to participate. It’s a careful balance, and one that we’re always refining, between fashion and social impact.

What’s next for FEED…
Opening this retail space is the perfect example of what’s ahead for FEED. New channels and product offerings that bring us closer to our existing customers, and expose us to a whole host of new ones, ultimately increasing our impact.