CALGARY – Grab your favourite mug, pour the perfect cup and let’s go beyond the bean on National Coffee Day.
Monday marks not a national holiday, but one dedicated to those who crave caffeine. National Coffee Day is an ode to the roast that more than half of Canadians drink on a daily basis.
Whether iced, decaf or instant, it’s a beverage that’s brewing up big business in Canada, with the coffee sector estimated to be worth $4.7 billion.
According to the Coffee Association of Canada, tap water and coffee are the two most commonly consumed beverages.
It’s a steaming statistic, and one that’s creating a strong coffee industry.
There are between 4,000 and 5,000 independent cafes and coffee shop owners and nearly 7,000 franchise owner-operators in Canada.
Calgary’s brew business is no different, with a healthy dose of chains, smaller shops and those getting in on the ground floor.
Young entrepreneur, Jeremy Ho, is throwing his hat into the coffee ring. The 27-year-old started out as a barista, but after years of washing dishes and whipping cream, he came up with Monogram Coffee, a pop-up shop that just started serving in September.
“We want to make coffee that sparks someone’s imagination, even for just a second,” says Ho.
“We are in this business to provide a moment for each person where they stop and wonder about their coffee or feel cared for.”
Caring for coffee is nothing new in Cowtown. Phil & Sebastian were engineers who could have made their money in oil and gas, but fell in love with a different type of black gold.
The pair put their focus into pushing the coffee bar and in the last ten years went from a spot at the Calgary Farmers’ Market to a booming business with cafes across the city.
It’s that ‘latte love’ that has the cups of Calgary consumers chock-full of choice. Take a walk down any street in the city and slammed between the Starbucks and Tim Hortons is a quiet and quaint choice trying to think outside the bean box.
So whether you’re feeding your morning habit or guzzling a cup over gossip, take a second to look inside your mug and savour every sip this National Coffee Day.
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