KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two teenagers figured out how to make terrific coffee beans and it's not just coffee drinkers who get a jolt from their efforts.
Money from the Ad Astra Roasting Company run by Kai Somasegaran and Berke Somasegaran goes to help provide housing for veterans.
Coffee Beans from Ad Astra Roasting Company, directly related to these checks, were written by 17-year-old Kai Somasegaran and 14-year-old Berke Somasegaran.
“It’s recognizing the hardships these veterans have been through,” said Kai Somasegaran, 14.
The pair began roasting coffee beans as a hobby in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We started giving away beans to friends and family, and they seemed to really like it, and we thought we could turn this into a business,” he said.
They proved they were really good at brewing beans and they turned it into a sourcing and packaging operation that included a mission to give back.
The proceeds from their sales go to the Veteran’s Community Project, whose mission is to get help and housing to struggling veterans.
“From having veterans in my life from a very young age, that was the main motive to give back to VCP,” according to Kai. “I had a mentor to me. His name was Officer Ben and he was a security guard at our middle school. After we were put under a threat, I got to know him pretty well.”
Officer Ben Wilson was a veteran experiencing homelessness and the brother's mission was to pair up with VCP to address the problem.
“I was just really blown away and loved everything that they are about," he said. "So it’s kind of a no-brainer. We wanted to give the money to them."
The checks for Veteran's Community Project keep rolling in.
“Our main goal is to reach $10,000," he said. We are already at $6,000 donated to VCP,” he said.
That means they need to sell about 500 more coffee bags to reach their goal.
“We’re really going to take it as far as we can,” he said.
The money is used to help build tiny homes and furnish them.
It allows veterans to have everything they need and take it with them once they leave the program.
“Knowing that they have a house and anything they need, it really warms your heart up,” said Berke Somasegaran.
You can buy their coffee on their Instagram account @ad_astra_roasting_kc
