Berkeley, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/10/2013 --Inspired by the revolutionary Black Panther passion of his parents, South Berkeley will soon be home to Rasa Caffe, a new micro cafe brewing on Martin Luther King Jr. Way.t’s the vision of Oakland native and Rasa Caffe founder Rasa Sun Mott. As the son of two high-profile members of the Black Panther Party, educator Ericka Huggins and James Mott of the Black Panther singing group The Lumpen, Rasa has deep roots in the Bay Area.

A formally trained chef and professional taste tester, Rasa has honed his culinary skills in celebrated kitchens across the country; from New York City's Windows on the World to celebrity chef Tanya Holland's Brown Sugar Kitchen and B-Side BBQ.

Power to the People
Applying his revolutionary legacy to create a unique café with what he calls ‘culinary activism,’ Rasa is turning to the revolutionary new method of funding a start-up business, the Kickstarter campaign (see: http://is.gd/vHU3DA). Kickstarter empowers people with as little as $10 to contribute to this start-up business (see http://rasa-caffe.blogspot.com/).

“Given the many years of sacrifice my family made as passionate advocates of peace, justice and equality, I feel a strong obligation to incorporate those values into a new business venture that will provide relaxing place for passionate people of all politics and color to come together, relax and refresh,” Rasa explained. “There is nothing political about Rasa Caffe. By using Kickstarter, we have a funding platform available to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status.”

Rasa Caffe’s concept is simple: create a cozy yet elegant local coffee and specialty drink bar in South Berkeley which will also feature artisanal food items from some of the finest local vendors. In partnership with the Firehouse Arts Collective, an award-winning arts hub located right next door, Rasa Caffe will also display local art for sale.

“Our goal is to help our customers relieve stress by providing relaxing ambience, convenience, friendly customer service, and products of consistently high quality,” Rasa added. “With sufficient community support, we will open this fall.”

“We are thrilled to work with Rasa Caffe on food-related and other large capacity events after their opening,” said Firehouse Art Collective Co-Director, Tom Franco.

Coffee, Community and Flavor
The word Rasa is Sanskrit for flavor, and is aptly named. Rasa Mott has traveled globally developing his palate and collecting recipes. In addition to select locally roasted pour-over fair trade coffee, Rasa Caffe will offer authentic Indian chai – a recipe Mott learned as a child in India and perfected over the years while volunteering in ashram kitchens.

The Company is hoping to raise $15,888 by September 22nd to meet its goals. Donation options range from $10 up and feature rewards ranging from limited edition Black Panther T-Shirts, to a catered five-course meal.

For more information on the Kickstarter campaign visit: www.kickstarter.com/projects/199904355/rasa-caffe-the-essence-of-flavor

About Rasa Caffe LLC
Rasa Caffe LLC was formed in 2013 by founder Rasa Mott in Berkeley, California. Rasa Caffe will be a coffee and specialty drink bar serving the members of the East Bay community and displaying art from the neighboring Firehouse Art Collective.

Contact
Rasa Mott
(510) 985-9987
Rasasun@gmail.com
http://rasa-caffe.blogspot.com/