There are several reasons to head down to Moksh Complex: music, food, yoga, books. And now you can add one more to the list: coffee. Less than two months old, Karma Coffee is gaining popularity among the regulars at Moksh Complex.

"It was such a shame to see so many different artists walk by one another without exchanging a single word," says founder and Austrian expat Birgit Lienhart-Gyawali. "I figured coffee would bring us all together. We could talk, get to know each another and build a sense of community."

It all began in 2010 when Birgit was travelling and a coffee farm in Begnas, run by an old married couple, caught her attention. Her interest in Nepali coffee grew and she quit her job and began Karma Trading, which exports Nepali coffee beans to Austria and Germany. The company now hopes to build a brand name under Karma Coffee.

Initially a one-woman operation, the coffee house now has two baristas and several volunteer assistants who freshly grind coffee beans for each serving. What is unique about this place is the pricing, the standard cup is only Rs 30, but donations are welcome.

"My main goal is to promote Nepali coffee and make it affordable for everyone," explains Birgit. "As long as I can run this place, I don't care much about earning huge profits. People should feel comfortable and not worry about over compensating."

Karma Coffee stresses on making best use of resources and not being wasteful. The flower pots that line the balcony are decorated with used coffee filters which Birgit also recycles and turns into lampshades. The ground coffee beans from the filters are discarded onto the plants for natural compost. Adjacent is a showroom full of coffee-related things such as Nepali-made ceramic mugs and coffee filters. With used coffee beans, Birgit creates "coffee paper" to ship batches of beans.

When asked about the biggest obstacle so far, Birgit is very pragmatic in her response. "The coffee industry in Nepal is relatively new. Farmers are less concerned about quality and are more excited about the money they might make. Proper training is necessary so that they can recognise good quality beans."

Roshani Adhikary