Earth Wind & Fuego: A Health Conscious Coffee House Creating Jobs in the Community
Creating Magic in the Kitchen
Customers ‘taste the impact’ of the deliciously healthy food and beverages at Earth Wind & Fuego, as the coffee house partners with Hudson River Housing at the repurposed historical Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory to support the restoration of the community.
“We met with Hudson River Housing...to negotiate starting a pop up restaurant in The Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory...and after one month of being a business here they asked us to join as a host business to their employment training program,'' exclaimed Madeline Henriquez, CEO and Co-founder of Earth Wind & Fuego.
Henriquez shared that Hudson River Housing is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to “improve and increase workforce development and economic development here in the city of Poughkeepsie.”
After Earth Wind & Fuego opened up shop in 2017 and brewed into a full blown cafe within The Underwear Factory, they partnered with Hudson River Housing to assist in training currently unemployed individuals that have experienced barriers from employment.
“This was not the vision of the business at all...but finding this place was magic for us and was exactly what we needed,” Henriquez admitted looking around at her employees hard at work, while customers enjoyed the fresh coffee and food in the aesthetics of the historical building.
Henriquez started Earth Wind & Fuego with her co-founder Jen Herman, as a meal prep and catering business, but found that her health inspired company had quickly snowballed into so much more.
Henriquez emphasized that when creating the Earth Wind & Fuego menu, “It was really important for us to...have a conversation about what healthy food looks like, how is it accessible, and how do different people interpret that.”
This coffee house menu has grown along with the business but stayed consistent with the company’s original health inspired initiative; featuring an entirely gluten free menu, with many vegan options as well.
“We are not just doing this because it’s a food trend. We are doing this because it’s also a part of our lifestyles,” Henriquez explained after sharing how the two co-founders consulted with nutritionists, not only for personal health reasons, but to create their healthy and affordable menu as well.
Henriquez admitted with a smile, “we don’t want to be just the bougie, gluten free place in the city of Poughkeepsie...we want to be a part of the community...and I feel like we are really doing that here.”
Favorite meals of the coffee house regulars varied from a nutritious breakfast of avocado toast to a heartier lunch option of a Sofrito Chicken Sandwich. Although, the “secret healing powers” of the cafe’s famous tomato soup trumped them all.
Henriquez laughed, “just the other day Rob Rolison the mayor of Poughkeepsie came in for tomato soup because he was overcoming a bug...we call it the anti-antibiotic because it’s just so healing.”
Although the company was founded on its health-food initiative, the coffee of the North River Roasting company has poured into the business as a customer favorite.
“North River Roasters was the first coffee roaster in the city of Poughkeepsie...and it’s just so good, we wouldn’t trade the quality of their organic and fair-trade coffee for anything,” stated Henriquez.
As the proud business owner looked passed the original exposed wood paneling of the historical Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory and into the open kitchen, she beamed “we’re creating magic in that kitchen… I'm so happy to partner with Hudson River Housing because they’re organization really mirrors our values and our work ethics, along with our vision for creating opportunities for folks that face barriers.”