The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

The Globe and Mail one of my favorite newspapers has a really decent article on micro-chain café expansion. They talk with Willie Mounzer, co-owner of Caffé Artigiano, Vince Piccolo of 49th Parallel and John Neate of JJ Bean and some guy from Starbucks PR. It is a really in-depth and decent article and sums up the current café scene quite nicely.

This winter I was able to have a long chat with Wille Mounzer at the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show . He expressed that growth is natural for a chain and finding the right people for the job is important.  He explained that taking short cuts behind the bar leads to less quality product, to which I agree. The varying quality I have seen from chains leads me to believe that even the mighty Artigiano can’t keep the quality consistent and still expand. I’d agree with Owner John Neate of JJ Bean, who I have found more consistent in his cafes across the board.

“For us to go to Toronto, we’d have to compromise what we do. You can only have so many stores, I don’t know how many, but I think after 20 it’s hard to remember all the managers names and their families. We’re pretty close to our maximum size around 10.” Said JJ Bean Owner John Neate ~ As published in the Globe and Mail Wednesday, Feb. 03, 2010.

That comment pretty much sums it up in my mind but don’t take my word for it.  Head down to your favorite café, grab a copy of the paper and decide for yourself.

The Globe and Mail Newspaper