Footprint Cafes aspires to become the first global chain of social enterprise book cafes linking our prosperous global tourist industry with prosperous local communities.
Footprint Cafes aspires to become the first global chain of social enterprise book cafes linking our prosperous global tourist industry with prosperous local communities.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. It accounts for 1 in every 10 jobs on our planet and generates approximately 10% of global GDP. Sadly, thriving local tourist markets do not always mean thriving local communities. For many tourism offers only seasonal, poorly paid work which is vulnerable to shocks such as natural disasters or unrest. It is common for big companies not local people to profit from the industry and often the growing volume of tourists puts a strain on natural resources already under pressure. In short, business as usual is not having the positive impact that it could. We want to change that.
We believe that most tourists want to have a positive impact on the places they visit. We believe that most tourists want a high quality, affordable, authentic dining experience. From these beliefs Footprint Cafes was born.
Footprint Cafes offers an easy, enjoyable, affordable way for tourists to give back to host communities simply by visiting our cafes. Each café is built on our three P’s model of: People, Planet, Profit.
Providing excellent employment conditions for our local teams and investing in their future through training and skills development allowing them to follow their dreams.
Sourcing ethically & locally wherever we can as well as doing all we can to reduce, reuse and recycle.
100% of net profits given as grants back to the local community as educational and entrepreneurial grants decided by a local committee.
We established our first café in Siem Reap, Cambodia in November 2016. Thanks to the generosity of angel investor Dr Darrin Disley, we have start up funding for the first three cafes. As a brand we will grow in towns around the world that have thriving tourist markets but pressing social needs.
Our customers are guaranteed the same high quality, friendly service wherever they are, along with a delicious local menu, safe in the knowledge that their spending power is having a positive impact.
Footprint Cafes is not associated with any faith other than the power of kindness, opportunity and great coffee. We look forward to welcoming you.
Footprint Cafes gives a business loan to secure a property for a new cafe to former Footprinters. Dialogue is established by Jake and Piseth a few months later.
Sonas world become first social enterprise tenants of Footprint’s enterprise centre. Sonas are a social business focused on developing intentional entrepreneurial villages that are consciously designed through locally owned participatory processes to regenerate social and natural environments.
Footprint teams up with Teacher Development Support Organisation hosting an event in our enterprise centre to facilitate improved reading, writing and public speaking for Cambodian professionals.
Dr Darrin M. Disley OBE scientist, entrepreneur, investor, enterprise champion and head of trustees for Footprint, visits Cambodia. Dr Disley officially names Footprint’s new enterprise centre and leads a workshop for the local community on scaling ventures and lessons learned; ‘The Path Less Travelled’.
SHE investment expand their operations from Phnom Penh to include Siem Reap making The Dr Darrin M. Disley OBE Enterprise Centre their new home. SHE is a social enterprise that designs and delivers the first and only gender-focused and culturally tailored business incubator and accelerator programs for women in Cambodia.
Sonas World release their new product range in Footprint’s cafe. Customers are able to sample, see and buy the beautiful crafts from rural villages.
Footprint teams up with Plastic Free Cambodia, giving their team use of our enterprise space to run a series of workshops to promote plastic use reduction.
Footprint screens ‘Love and Bananas – An Elephant Story’, in collaboration with Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary. The events aims to raise awareness of issues facing the local environment.
Rithy Thul, Co-Founder of Small World Ventures and creator of Cambodia’s first home designed affordable laptop, launches his new laptop in Siem Reap in The Dr Darrin M. Disley Enterprise Centre. KOOMPI aspire to make computing affordable for the next generation of Cambodians.
A Place To be Yourself invites the Pacific Pride Choir to Siem Reap for Pride. Footprint is happy to host some of the musical magic as part of pride celebrations.
Footprint teams up with Writing Through to host the release of ‘An Anthology of Poems for the Magic Pencils’, a beautiful compilation of poems by persons of different ages and backgrounds, giving voice to the often unheard.
Read Club Cambodia return to the Dr Darrin M. Disley OBE Enterprise Centre to enjoy one of their regular group reading sessions.
Footprint – Siem Reap, teams up with Chan Kunthea & Menno De Block to sell their new book ‘Diving Deep, Going Far’, a reality novel about a new generation of women leaders in Cambodia. The title is based on a Khmer proverb that says women ‘cannot dive deep or go far’.
Footprint is once again happy to host one of Read Club Cambodia‘s regular reading meet ups.
Footprint – Siem Reap, hosts screening of ‘Living The Change’, an award winning documentary on a sustainable future for us all.
Covid-19 pandemic spreads to Cambodia and Thailand, delaying renovations and temporarily halting operations in Siem Reap.
Tourism drops dramatically in both locations as countries around the world go into varying degrees of lock down.
The tough decision to temporarily freeze team perks is taken as Footprint tries to limit expenses during uncertain times.
Siem Reap adapts to new reality by limiting hours and focusing on delivery service. Koh Phangan delays opening.
Footprint – Siem Reap, is given just days notice to dismantle its front seating area in order to make way for road works. Manager, Pheakdey Yon, leads the team who stay up 24 hours to have it completed on time.
Miss Wong, a very popular local cocktail bar in Siem Reap, moves from the centre of town to Street 26. The move to the street is followed by several other popular previously central businesses, adding to the potential post covid vibrancy of the street.
After months of delays and lock downs, Footprint Cafes – Koh Phangan, has its soft opening.
Reading Club Cambodia returns to Footprint Cafes – Siem Reap.
Footprint Cafes – Koh Phangan hosts its first event, a live cello and piano improvisation. The free concert is attended by the local community, lifting spirits in an uncertain time.
Footprint wins Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel Award 2021 for Small Business watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3A5-W3o4Rk
38 Roads project launched in Siem Reap. Extensive road, sewage and drainage work begins around town. The $150 million project aims to improve and modernize the cities infrastructure.
Strict lockdown and curfews return to Siem Reap and Koh Phangan as the global community tries to limit the spread of Covid.
Part of the money intended to start Footprint’s third cafe is diverted to its pre-existing cafes in Cambodia and Thailand to help them survive the Covid crises.
Footprint Cafes – Koh Phangan, can finally call itself a book cafe as books donated from the Cambridge community reach the island. The local team get creative in celebrating.
Footprint Cafes – Koh Phangan builds a recycling station for the local community of Sri Thanu. The station allow for glass, plastic and battery recycling.
As the impacts of the Covid pandemic deepen, further funds intended for Footprint’s 3rd cafe are sent to the pre-existing cafes.
Footprint Cafes – Koh Phangan, becomes a water station and bottle distributer for the Trash Hero Thailand movement. The Trash Hero mission is to bring communities together to clean and reduce waste. They do this through: Action, Awareness, Sustainable Projects and Inspiration.
Siem Reap locks down into various zones, severely restricting movement. Some families struggle to access food, many businesses and social enterprises are forced to shut permanently. Footprint makes a small donation to Ability Fair Trade Village who are coordinating food packages for families in hard-to-reach areas of town.
The Village Times, a new Cambodian TV Channel comes to Footprint Cafes. Manager, Pheakdey Yon, shows he is a natural in front of the cameras as he explains the Footprint model.
SHE Investments, long term residents of the Dr Darrin M. Disley OBE Enterprise Centre, release their policy recommendations for the Covid crises. With around 25% of Cambodia’s job market dependent on tourism and travel the economic shock from the global lock down is expected to be high.
The Ministry of Tourism comes to Footprint Cafes – Siem Reap to assess whether the cafe is Covid safe. The inspection is successful and the cafe is allowed to open its doors to the public again.
Footprint Cafes – Siem Reap, begins hosting events again as the cafe’s enterprise centre becomes part of the Angkor International Festival for the Arts.
The first international flight to Siem Reap in 21 months touches down from Singapore on the 17th December 2021. TV crews and members of the community go to the airport to welcome the first international tourists in almost two years. Footprint – Siem Reap extends its weekend hours in celebration.
Footprint Cafes – Koh Phangan joins friends to host ‘Eco Koh Phangan’, an event that brings together initiatives, businesses and individuals working towards a cleaner, greener more sustainable Koh Phangan. Special guests include: Trash Hero Koh Phangan, Unpacked, Forward Phangan, Clean All Phangan and Eco-Thailand.
38 Roads Project complete in Siem Reap. The road works extend to a length of 106km. The project also includes a drainage and sewage system spanning 250km, 20 traffic lights, 5,300 street lights and the planting of 3,125 trees. Footprint’s Street 26 gets a snazzy pavement and street lighting.
After many months of strict covid regulations and restricted movement Thailand opens up fully to international tourism again.
Footprint Cafes – Siem Reap, hosts the launch of 3 original publications in The Dr Darrin M. Disley OBE Enterprise Centre. ‘Dancers’ by Colin Grafton traces the resilience and revival of traditional Cambodian dance after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Nicholas Coffill’s ‘Photography in Cambodia’ brings the past to life, revealing many historical gems as he weaves a story to the present day. Sadly, young author, Hang Acharya, passes the day his book, ‘Dangerous Lives’, is published. Hang was inspired by the writings of Stephen King and J.K. Rowling, mixing the genres in the new fantasy novel. Money raised from the sales of ‘Dangerous Lives’ goes to Hang’s family.
Wat Bo Village, home to Footprint Cafes – Siem Reap, is named 3rd coolest neighborhood in the world by Time Out Magazine. Footprint Cafes is named as one of its top spots to visit.
Special guest Ahmed Ahmed headlines a gaggle of Cambodia’s top comedy talent in The Dr Darrin M. Disley OBE Enterprise Centre as part of a special Siem Reap show. Our Siem Reap cafe also celebrates its 6 year anniversary.
Footprint Cafes – Koh Phangan, builds a compost area for its food and bar scraps.
Footprint Cafes – Koh Phangan, holds its first book swap for the island’s bibliophiles. The swap also raises money for local animal rescue charity PACS.
Footprint Cafes aspires to become the first global chain of social enterprise book cafes linking our prosperous global tourist industry with prosperous local communities.
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