By Andy Tarnoff Publisher Published May 13, 2001 at 5:29 PM

As if you need another excuse to drink more coffee, two small downtown cafes have just the thing: it's called Coffee With A Conscience, and this Milwaukee secret is just waiting to be let out.

Owned and operated by the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), the cafes are located in the Milwaukee Public Library (East Wing) and the Schlitz Park Business Center. The mission is threefold: to raise the social, environmental and global conscience of Milwaukee coffee achiever.

The social conscience side is served by the WWBIC's commitment to providing business education and training to women seeking economic independence. Their bakery products are made by the organization's clients, and the cafes generate revenue for WWBIC.

Environmentally, Coffee With A Conscience is committed to reducing waste and the reckless use of nonrenewable resources. They only use environmentally sound cups and plastics that prolong the life of area landfills. Their coffee is organic and protects farmers and the environment from unsafe application of fertilizers and pesticides.

Globally, Coffee With A Conscience is sensitive to human rights. By purchasing green coffees from around the world, their roasters have consistently recognized the value of buying "fair trade" and certified organic, Kosher coffees. They subscribe to the notion that "fair trade" connects producers and consumers in more equitable, meaningful and sustainable ways.

Coffee With A Conscience also offers gourmet, home-style sandwiches and tasty bakery products. To support a great cause, visit either of their two locations (814 W. Wisconsin Ave. and 1555 River Center Dr. in Schlitz Park) or call the WWBIC at (414) 263-5450. You can also visit their Web site at www.wwbic.com.

Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.

Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.

Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.