Eco-Coffee Company - An Eye Opening 2 Hours.

Last Saturday, I headed over to the HQ of Eco-Cafe to get the tour and a start the morning off right with some unbelievably tasty and ethical coffee.

The Eco-Coffee Company is based in Kitchener, owned and operated by Edward Denyer, and is focused on providing great coffee, while employing sustainable processes - from the farm, to the warehouse, to the packaging, to your cup.

I have to admit, i have a soft spot for Starbucks - have since i was 16 and thought i was cool... i know it's wrong, but sometimes it just feels right to have that cookie cutter experience. I asked Edward what he thought of the giant, "Starbucks is the education engine" he said - to put it bluntly... without them, no one would give a fuck about coffee (those are my words, not his).

I have pages and pages of notes from our 2 hour chat, but let's be honest - you read this blog because it's short and sweet and to the point - so here's the 7 things to know about Eco-Coffee that make them a company you should be buying from:

1. They are local. Their warehouse is on Mill St, where they do all the roasting and packaging. You can also visit them at their Kitchener Market 2nd floor location (Tues - Sat 10-4)
   
   
2. They are at a location near you. Here's a list of retail locations in the KW, Cambridge, Guelph area - if the market location isn't right for you. You can also shop online if you're a recluse.
   
   
3. They are making it easy for you to do the RIGHT thing. Listen, i'm not gonna sugar coat this for you - picking coffee beans is a very intense, physically demanding and painstakingly slow process... for this to be cheap, some farmers use workers that are practically slaves and in some cases are children. Eco-coffee provides fair trade, ethically grown beans... Why don't you think about that next time you're in line at Timmy's.
   
   
   
4. They're protecting the rainforest. They have the seal of approval to prove it.
   
   
5. Their innovating away from wasteful packaging - and working on a bag that bio-degrades in your green bin. And it still looks cool.
   
   
6. They want you to try before you buy. So they've set up sampling machines at some retail locations and you can sample a roast before you take it home... and then you'll know it's your coffee maker that's shit, not the beans.
   
   
7. They're smart, talented and fresh. Roasting is an art form. It takes years of practice and a lot of intuition to be able to be really good at it... Big name roasters are pumping those beans out like it's going outta style - these guys are roasting as needed - the fresher the better.
   
   

Maybe this seems like an ad or some Brand Power TV spot - but really, I'm just a little bit concerned that you may still be buying brown drink at Tim Horton's in the morning and you need to kick the habit. You know it's not cool... and it certainly isn't coffee.

Call me a snob... but I'm right.

H.

PS.

Email Adam

amclean(at)eco-coffee(dot)ca

with the phrase:

"Eco-caffeinate me, please"

and he will award you with a $5 gift card.

(You're welcome - H.)