Morning Coffee: Bridgehead
Fair trade coffee has entered the mainstream. Far from its old image as the fringe product that one could only obtain through a shifty-eyed neo-hippie local roaster, fair trade coffee is now recognized by the majority of the world’s large coffee corporations, and some coffeehouses and roasters have worked with the movement to succeed in business while spreading awareness about socially-responsible consumer products.
My love affair with Bridgehead began in 2000, when I was still in high school and this now locally-renowned coffeehouse chain had just opened its first retail outlet. After a couple of afternoon visits to the shop in the not-as-gentrified west end neighbourhood of Westboro, I was convinced that I had come across the best-tasting coffee on the planet. I was unaware that they were able to obtain this wonderful taste by purchasing only the best organic shade-grown Arabica beans and roasting them in small batches, and I was also unacquainted with the concept of fair trade goods. I was also unaware that I was sparking the flames of an addiction that has now been a part of my daily routine for years.
Bridgehead now has seven locations across Ottawa, and an eighth is on the way. Many locals are familiar with the name, and it has numerous times been voted the best coffee in the city by the local scenester newspaper, the X-Press. Despite this success, it hasn’t lost its commitment to social responsibility: it has worked hard with other local businesses to promote awareness of environmentally-conscious practices and fair trade. The coffeehouses themselves are testaments to the company’s focus on building social capital: wide, sunny and spacious, all the cafés have communal newspaper supplies, warm music, free wireless internet, and ample supplies of comfortable seating that beckon you to laze away the afternoon on your own, rendez-vous with a friend for a long, smiling conversation, or wait around in hopes of meeting somebody new. Perhaps my favourite aspect of the coffeehouse (aside from the coffee, of course) is its community atmosphere. At the begininning or end of a restless day, it is comforting to have a place to go where staff know your order (medium-sized dark roast ‘for here‘) and treat you not as a customer but as a friend.
My time at Bridgehead has also led me to inquire about the production of my coffee. By speaking with staff and consulting with the company’s website, I have learned about the individual co-ops that provide the beans that make my daily brew(s), the growing systems under which the lovely cherries are cultivated, and the trading systems through which my coffee is processed. I have also been motivated to support important causes through Bridgehead’s limited edition coffees, such as the beautiful Tsunami Recovery Blend which was offered through the first half of 2005 and helped fund the recovery effort at one of the co-ops in the devastated Banda Aceh region of Indonesia.
When I’m whiling away the hours at the café on Wellington Street, I sometimes reflect on the importance of institutions like this. Bridgehead is perhaps the closest thing that Ottawa has to the Viennese kaffeehaus, that cauldron of thinking that fuelled the genius intellects of Bach, Freud and Klimt. Coffeehouses and other places where people can meet and exchange ideas are gems in the urban fabric and are important institutions of civil society; features that are essential in the formation of interesting and vibrant neighbourhoods.
Tags: Cafés, Morning Coffee, Ottawa
Olga Schlyter says:
What a nice place. Makes me crave for a perfect cup of coffee… In Ottawa!
October 17th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
Christopher DeWolf says:
Lovely photos and an interesting post. Socially responsible businesses often do the most to educate the public about socially responsible business practices.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
Canuckflack » Blog Archive » Cappucino urbanism: battling out neighbourhood identity says:
[...] In the oh-so-eager-to-be-hip neighbourhood of Westboro, there’s a skirmish for the community’s identity being played out over retail development: do you side with Starbucks, the aggressive imperialist; Bridgehead, the local free trader; or Tim Horton’s, the traditional and, in comparison, down market, coffee pusher that wants to open an outlet in the neighbourhood? [...]
November 4th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Jim-Bob says:
Don’t believe the hype! They pay SHIT wages that resemble nothing close to a living wage for people living in Ottawa. Kudos for the farmers but nuts to the employees. Trust no one!
March 22nd, 2007 at 10:03 pm