Last week, I attended the Rose Cafe with Keith Lemnios. As someone who is interested in business, this cafe was very interesting. At my old school (Fordham) the business school was introducing a new focus on social entrepreneurship, so what Mr. Lemnios was discussing was very familiar. Where something was produced or how it was produced is becoming a big deal for consumers. People feel better about the products that are doing the things that Sun Coffee does. I think it is smart that Sun Coffee has partnered with universities because students are one of the demographics that are becoming more conscious about Fair Trade items.

It is interesting to parallel Sun Coffee with Nike because of the differences in production. Nike is using sweatshops and are still one of the most successful companies in the world. They make a good product. I wonder how the Sun Coffee tastes compared to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. All around campus I see people drinking these coffees. I am not a coffee guy so i didn’t try any of the Sun Coffee provided by Mr. Lemnios, but it would be interesting to see the lengths people are willing to go to get their desired coffee. Sun is more available because it is sold on campus, but Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts are just in Collegetown.  I am not familiar with the production practices of Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, but I dont think they are doing the programs that Sun is doing.

I also liked the Ted talk video that was shown. I think the circle diagram shows why many lifestyle brands are taking off because people want to associate themselves with products that represent what they belief in. It will be interesting to see how these companies perform in the future and what new trends will emerge. All in all, this was one of the more interesting rose cafes this year.