Mickey and Robbyn from Salt Spring Coffee, during the cupping:

So, we had a great opportunity, as previously noted, to speak with the owners of Salt Spring Coffee Co. Now, here’s their story.

Both Robbyn and Mickey have been coffee lovers for a long time. Their paths crossed in the early 70s, and they’ve been together since. Both share the dedication to organic and fair trade, in coffee and beyond. They were privileged to enjoy many great local roasters in San Francisco and in Oregon, but found the transition to BC rather difficult - where was all the quality coffee? So, when they made the transition to Salt Spring Island, they decided to take the leap. Salt Spring Island had two coffee shops with regular customers, but there wasn’t a local roaster. The quality and freshness was just not there.

So, Robbyn and Mickey came together to create a place where quality, freshness, and a consciousness of fair trade, organic coffee could be preserved. This is how Salt Spring Coffee evolved. And, to this day, they stand to these same commitments.

They began their cafe as a retail/roast establishment (it has since been separated). They started with good branding, which has since evolved quite substantially to what it is today. They chose the name as a way to represent the Island to others, and to effectively brand the coffee and its great roots. It has since included in the logo the all-important “Organic” marker. The community has embraced the company - as an establishment in the community, a local business, and an ethical one to boot.

They use one trader from California for all their coffee purchases. They roast 5 days per week and ship out to grocery and retail establishments five days per week (with their own Bio Diesel truck once per week). As a note, they were the first to pave the way in Vancouver as the only fair trade certified coffee available in grocery stores.

So, congratulations to both Mickey and Robbyn for creating a great establishment, for leading the way in organic free trade coffee, and for effectively marketing it abroad. Cheers!

Signage from the street.
Great interior mural for coffee regions.

Delivery truck.

Good business planning, yes?

We had great conversations with the owners. Will be blogging them tomorrow. It will become clear why they brand their trucks with the Social Change copy.

Good news is, we’ll be going back to witness the roasting on Monday. I didn’t click in and realize to schedule the entire thing on Monday, but it means we can absorb and be ready for roasting without being overwhelmed by the whole cupping experience as well.

Thanks to both Robbyn and Mickey for a great tour!

This is the perfect (and I really mean it) way to showcase your coffee varieties. No confusion. No limits to just light, medium or dark. Just perfect.

Salt Spring Coffee.