WE ENJOYED THIS INTERVIEW WITH CAFFIEND TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AND THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH FULL CITY & SUPPLY…
TELL US ABOUT YOU AND CAFFIEND...
We’re both very much coffee people. All our road trips in the past 6 years have been planned
around where we are going to get coffee along the way.
It’s our mission to be your “third place”. That place between home and work. Somewhere where people
feel comfortable and a sense of community.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN BUSINESS?
We had a dream to one day open a cafe in a little mountain ski town. We live in South West
Edmonton and regularly travel quite far for specialty coffee. As a new development started
construction in our neighborhood we asked ourselves why do we have to wait to chase our
dreams. We started asking around and after a few small hurdles Caffiend came to life among the shop’s
of Jagare Ridge.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE STARTING CAFFIEND?
Allen has been in the food industry for 20+ years. He’s a red seal chef with a variety of
experience including hotels, golf courses, ski resorts, the Rocky Mountaineer and oil and gas.
Jennifer was in management before Caffiend for a small business in the fitness industry and
prior to that worked as a Primary Care Paramedic.
DID YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAD THE SKILLS TO START THIS BUSINESS?
We did feel that we made a great team before starting Caffiend. With Allen’s past experience in
food/beverage and Jennifer’s experience in management, social media and customer service
we were ready to take on whatever business threw at us.
HOW DID YOU START WORKING WITH FULL CITY & SUPPLY?
Full City & Supply was recommended to us by our coffee supplier Roasti Coffee Co. After our first
meeting we knew that we wanted to support this great local small business!
The variety of products are great and the service is 10/10.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE PRODUCTS THEY SUPPLY FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS?
Milkadamia is our favourite and definitely a customer favourite as well.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR CORE VALUES AND WHAT THEY MEAN TO YOU?
Our core values include:
Support Local - We support local whenever we can. We have a number of local beverage
options, support local fundraisers and sponsor our local community. We are loving how much
the support local movement is taking off.
Community - We aim to be a community space. We regularly host community events and have
a giant community table built by two awesome local guys (The Stonewolf Studio + Sole Rustics)
We use the table to host networking events, kids events, games nights and encourage everyone
to unplug there.
Environmental Sustainability - We try to reduce waste in as many ways as we can. We do not
offer straws in our cafe and have opted to have our to go cold drinks in a sippy lid, 100% plant
based compostable cup. All our take out containers, disposable utensils, cups, lids, sleeves and
drink trays are recyclable.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BEVERAGE ON YOUR MENU?
Our go to drink right now is an iced Americano with a splash of Milkadamia.
WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOU THAT MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW?
We are both adrenaline junkies. We love adventure and excitement. Throughout our relationship
we’ve been skydiving, bungee jumping, white water rafting and we even got married on top of a
mountain.
HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK COMMUNITY IS IN YOUR CAFE?
Community is one of our core values. We work hard every day to build community inside and
outside our cafe. We regularly host community events and also attend events outside the cafe.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE CUSTOMER?
We have an amazing regular customer base! There’s no way we could pick just one, we love
hearing all their stories and keeping up with their lives.
IF YOU HAD ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT WITH A COFFEE SHOP, WHAT
WOULD IT BE?
Ask for help. The independent coffee scene in Edmonton is full of amazing entrepreneurs who
are so willing to help if you just have the courage to ask for it.
HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CAFFIEND?
We’re very active on Facebook and Instagram. That’s the best way to connect with us.
https://www.facebook.com/CaffiendCoffeeInc/
https://www.instagram.com/caffiendcoffeeinc
To learn more about Caffiend, visit ... www.caffiendcoffee.ca