A Bed-Stuy Café Opens East Harlem Outpost

EAST HARLEM, NY — A new sit-down café celebrating diversity and all things coffee has opened inside The Africa Center in East Harlem, bringing ethically sourced, "culture-anchored" drinks and treats to Fifth Avenue, its owner told Patch.

CUP @ The Africa Center, a café operated in partnership with Bed-Stuy-based coffee brand Coffee Uplifts People opened on the ground floor of 1280 Fifth Ave., along the eastern edge of Central Park near 110th Street.

"Coffee Uplifts People is partnering with The Africa Center to bring our culture-anchored menu of direct-sourced coffee and teas paired with a curated menu of bites from our Brooklyn flagship to East Harlem," Tony Forte, president and CEO of Coffee Uplifts People, told Patch.

CUP @ The Africa Center is now serving freshly roasted coffee, cold brew, and a selection of loose-leaf teas, along with a variety of non-coffee drinks, including sorrel, lemonade and ginger beer.

The coffee shop sources its beans directly from single-origin farms around the world, with an emphasis on fair-trade practices and diversity principles. The brand’s network of coffee farms spans Ethiopia, Peru, Mexico and Sumatra, according to CUP's website.

CUP was co-founded by nationally syndicated radio host Angela Yee, along with Forte and LaRon Batchelor, in Bed-Stuy in 2020.

According to The Africa Center, revenue generated from sales at the East Harlem café will support efforts to expand fair-trade certified cooperatives across Africa’s Arabica coffee-producing regions, including Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda.

"Known for impeccable service, lifestyle vibes and cultural programming, the alignment of CUP and The Africa Center is the 2026 partnership we didn’t know we needed but couldn’t be more thrilled to have," Forte said.

CUP @ The Africa Center is open Wednesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Know of a business opening or closing in Manhattan? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.