CHICAGO — A Lincoln Square café known for its zero-waste mission is now offering fresh produce grown by refugees, thanks to a new partnership with a neighborhood farm in Albany Park.
The Eco Café, located at 4756 N. Rockwell St., has opened a fresh market section inside its shop, selling vegetables and herbs grown at the nearby Global Garden Refugee Training Farm. The nonprofit farm helps refugee families grow their own food and sell it to local vendors across Chicago.
Refugee-Grown Produce Now Available Daily
The café, an offshoot of the Eco Flamingo general store, began offering produce like parsley, cilantro, garlic scapes, kale, cabbage, and green mustard in March. Café co-owner Bethany Barbouti said the new offering was always part of the vision for the café, which opened last year.
“We’re now opening the café on Mondays as well, just so that people can get fresh stuff every day,” Barbouti said.
New hours:
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Monday–Friday: 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
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Saturday–Sunday: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
The produce is sourced just across the North Branch of the Chicago River, making it a hyperlocal addition that fits seamlessly with the café’s sustainability mission.
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Hyperlocal, Zero-Waste, and Community-Focused
The Global Garden Refugee Training Farm, located at 4815 N. Sacramento Ave., was launched in 2012 to help refugees feed their families and earn income. In addition to farming support, the organization also offers help with life essentials, such as opening bank accounts and navigating city services.
“You’ve got to go into a small business step by step in order to make sure you have enough staffing and time to do it,” Barbouti said.
The new market area is tucked into a converted storage space at the front of the café, creating a new room dedicated to produce. Shoppers can now find not just vegetables but also package-free items like yogurt, vegan cream cheese, pickled goods, and microgreens.
More Than Coffee: A Mission-Driven Space
Originally launched in 2020, Eco Flamingo was founded by Barbouti, Mia McCullough, and Alexis Chavez as a zero-waste store offering bulk household goods. Their expansion into café service and now a fresh market has turned the space into a community hub for eco-conscious living.
“It was always part of the plan,” Barbouti said. “Now, with consistent customer demand and survey input, we’ve made it happen.”
Do you shop at zero-waste businesses or support community farms like Global Garden? Share your experiences or favorite local eco-spots with us at chicagosuburbanfamily.com.
