According to the International Rescue Committee, less than one percent of the world’s refugees are allowed to cross the United States borders. For the select few who are given the opportunity to step foot into the US, their difficult journeys to resettle and adapt to their new country will have just begun. This short excerpt of the longer documentary 'Americano: A Love Letter to the 1%' follows the remarkable journey of the 1951 Coffee Company, a startup located in Berkeley, CA, named after the year the United Nations first created guidelines for the protection of refugees.

The film highlights the work of Rachel Taber, Doug Hewitt, and their team at the genesis of their journey as they open one of the first coffee shops in the nation where incoming refugees are trained and employed as baristas, keeping refugee resettlement at the center of its mission. Through fundraising efforts and support from architects, designers, civic leaders, and the greater community, they embark on an inspiring journey to begin a movement and create a replicable model for the cafe throughout the state of California.