Meaning ‘good coffee’ in Inuinnaqtun, Kaapittiaq sources its coffee beans from Indigenous farmers in Peru and turns them into what they call the Arctic’s finest brew. The beans come from naturally-forested and bird-friendly environments, harvested by family-owned organizations in South America.

The company is Inuit owned-and-operated in western Nunavut, with 75 per cent of profits each year going toward programs that promote Inuit culture and language. Less than 600 fluent speakers of the Inuinnaqtun language remain, and experts estimate it will become a lost language in less than two generations.

The beans are roasted and packaged through a partnership with Beaver Rock Roastery, an Ontario company.

Bean North

Since 1997, Bean North has been roasting their certified organic fair trade coffee northwest of Whitehorse, Yukon, in the boreal area of Takhini Valley. They’ve built long-term working relationships with small farmers, paying a premium to help sustain the communities they work with.

Entry into the Yukon is currently restricted due to COVID-19, but you can sign up for a coffee subscription or purchase individual bags with cross-Canada shipping available.

Barren Ground

This fall, Barren Ground Coffee will celebrate its third year in business as a small batch artisan coffee roaster in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The company supports a student-run cafe in Whati, where kids learn to brew coffee in addition to learning about proper food handling and business skills. Barren Ground also supports a number of northern athletes.

Each bag of Barren Ground coffee is labelled in two Indigenous languages — Inuktut and Tłı̨chǫ. Their focus is organic and fair-trade coffee.

Atlin Mountain Coffee

This wood-fired roastery in northern British Columbia uses a custom-built roaster to heat its beans. The organic, fair-trade, single-origin beans are protected during the heat-roasting process thanks to a double-roasting drum and are sourced from Nicaragua, Peru, Colombia, Honduras and Ethiopia.

The owners came from France and the Netherlands and live off-grid in a log cabin. In addition to sponsoring local artisans and fundraisers, Atlin Mountain Coffee also sponsors the local search and rescue organization, and the local Pride parade.

Firebean Coffee