Shebeen

Imagine going out and having a big night, having a great time and waking up the next day feeling better about yourself! Well get those wallets out as we have found a very unique way to either celebrate, commiserate or just throw back a few stubbies.

Shebeen is the first not-for-profit bar in the country boasting a new way to use our love of drinking to help those in need. Shebeen takes profits from each individual drink and puts it back into various projects of the beverages country of origin in the developing world.

Set up in one of Melbourne’s most iconic laneways, Manchester lane, Shebeen has been opening it’s doors to Melburnians for a bit over three years. The watering hole houses a shack-like feel is named after the illicit bars or shebeens that opened in South Africa and Zimbabwe during the apartheid.

Encouraged to choose a beverage based on country of origin, project, or simply whatever you’re into in the flavour department, bar-goers know they aren’t just fuelling their own lives. Asking the bartender for a St George or Castell beer from Ethiopia will support KickStart, which helps to increase the crop production of rural farriers by providing agricultural equipment in Ethiopia.

Don’t be afraid wine lovers, it’s not all about the beer. You can sit back and sip on a Boschendal Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch, South Africa and know that you are contributing towards the charity Room to Read. The unusual yet satisfying idea was developed by co-founders Simon Griffiths and Zanna McCormish who were inspired by the time the duo spent in the developing world and how little funding there was.

Shebeen rocks the printed fabric stools from Kenya, hangs your coat on colourful lobster-shaped hooks and serves cocktails in faux pineapple jars. Thus creating a worldly experience for customers, not just within the choice of beverage.

Every aspect of this quirky bar invites you to do more than just donate, but creates a very good conversation starter. So if you’re ever in the mood for putting the money where your mouth is, Shebeen is your place to pop a cap off to humanity.

Shebeen
36 Manchester Ln, Melbourne
shebeen.com.au