Ask any coffee company and they’ll tell you: repeat business is the key to success. And at Sprudge—also a coffee company—we couldn’t agree more. That’s why we are always excited to have repeat customers to our Build-Outs of Summer series. Beachcomber Coffee in Gibsons, British Columbia is the latest company to get their second punch in the Build-Outs Loyalty Card. Eight more and they get a free Sprudge!
Located along the glorious Sunshine Coast, this second Beachcomber outpost has all the hallmarks of the original: the prominent black and yellow aesthetic, a custom painted yellow Victoria Arduino White Eagle, and a prominent mural adorning the interior. It’s all part of what the self-described lifestyle brand wants to deliver to guests: a little slice of paradise. So let’s slide on our flip flops and grab a tandem beach cruiser and head on out to Gibsons for some easy living and easy drinking at the brand new cafe from Beachcombers Coffee Company.
The 2019 Build-Outs of Summer is presented by Pacific Barista Series, notNeutral, KeepCup, and Mill City Roasters. Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 46)
As told to Sprudge by Martin DesRosiers.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Founded in 2015 by Martin DesRosiers, a top 40 under 40 in Business in Vancouver recipient, Beachcomber Coffee is an award-winning craft coffee company based on the Sunshine Coast, BC Canada! Roasted in Vancouver but based in Gibsons, Beachcomber Coffee represents the Sunshine Coast lifestyle and produces proprietary blends of Certified Organic and Certified Fairtrade coffees. Beachcomber’s approach to coffee is to appeal to the daily Canadian coffee drinker by producing coffees that are chocolaty, sweet, and nutty in profile.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
Our new space is based around a To-Go model, either fuel up before or after shopping as we’re located at the only mall here in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast. It’s a 305-square-foot cozy space filled with the same personality that our customers are used to in our flagship location. It features another signature Ben Tour mural (local artist) of Sea Wolves, which are a breed of wolf found here on the west coast, the ultimate Beachcombers.
What’s your approach to coffee?
Our approach from day one was to build a lifestyle brand representing what we feel is a slice of paradise here on the Sunshine Coast. We just happen to do that through coffee. Our coffees hold various roaster and coffee certifications to ensure quality, freshness, and ethical practices are in place. We are pioneers in the local coffee scene when it comes to sustainable practices and approaching coffee from a unique angle. We are far from our average coffee company and our shops are vibrant, filled with colors, loud music, deadly donuts, and an obsession about the customer experience. It’s not just a coffee, it’s a lifestyle… Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 46)
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
Our custom yellow-wrapped Victoria Arduino White Eagle will be producing those chocolaty shots for us. We’ve also standardized on FETCO equipment for batch brewing and grinding. For Espresso grinders, we went with our trusted Nuova Simonelli Mythos One.
How is your project considering sustainability?
We have a variety of sustainable elements within our shop. Our to-go cups (12oz and 16oz) are double-wall insulated, meaning no sleeves are required which means less waste. We’ve moved to metal spoons at our condiment station to reduce waste even further and have eliminated stir-sticks. We were the first shop in Gibsons Landing to offer a “bring your own cup” program and save 25-cents off your drink. We were the first shop in Gibsons Landing to offer compostable paper straws by default (we’ve never had plastic straws). We launched a LOCALS to-go cup, which is a purpose-built reusable 12oz coffee cup, offering 10% off every single time its used with the goal of reducing our paper to-go cup usage.
Unique to our To-Go location is we’re launching a Coffee Growler program to reduce coffee bags landing in the garbage. We’ve partnered with another local company, Luumi, to offer their Platinum Silicone bags with stainless steel clips that hold one pound of coffee beans. We have a hopper/refill station in shop and plan to encourage customers to refill their beans on a weekly basis.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
June 10, 2019
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
HUGE shoutout to John from Blenheim Construction, he was our contractor on our original build and turned around our new shop in just over two months. Also a massive THANK YOU to Ethan from Ethan Luc Designs who was the Designer/Architect on this project and was also the Designer/Architect on our first brick and mortar location. Also a special thank you to our Graphic Designers since day one, John and Roberta from Topshelf Design, they act as our virtual design department and have helped us execute on our vision on countless occasions!
Thank you!
Thank you for reading and if you’re ever thinking about visiting the Sunshine Coast, let us know!
The Build-Outs Of Summer is an annual series on Sprudge. Live the thrill of the build all summer long in our Build-Outs feature hub.
Photos by Damon Berryman
