Café Cambio, coopérative de travail

What Café Cambio, coopérative de travail does

Café Cambio is a Quebec solidarity cooperative (coopérative de solidarité) operating from a single site at 414 rue Racine Est in downtown Chicoutimi, Saguenay. Founded in 2004 and opened in 2005, the cooperative runs three integrated lines of business: an artisanal restaurant serving breakfast and lunch, a micro-roastery (Brûlerie) roasting over 15,000 kg of certified fair trade and organic green coffee annually, and a cultural venue hosting art exhibitions and community events. It employs 25 workers, of whom 9 are cooperative members.

The cooperative's core technology is its in-house micro-roastery using the Swiss water decaffeination process. Its catalog spans more than ten single-origin coffees sourced from producer cooperatives across Latin America, Africa, and Central America (including Ethiopia, Colombia, Bolivia, Honduras, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo), six house blends, a 720g discovery gift set, Inuit herbal teas distributed in partnership with Makivvik, and Camino hot chocolate, cacao, and sugar lines sourced from La Siembra. All coffees carry Fairtrade Canada and Québec Vrai organic certifications.

Café Cambio generates revenue through unit-priced retail coffee sales (typically $19-$62 per 300g-1kg unit), restaurant food service, a wholesale channel distributed across more than 40 point-of-sale retail locations throughout the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, and community fundraising programs. Its go-to-market combines a direct-to-consumer cafe and roastery, a wholesale-only online boutique, B2B outreach to retailers and restaurants, and impact-linked partnerships such as the Le Solidaire blend supporting Centre de solidarité internationale. Customer concentration is broadly diversified across consumer, SMB wholesale, and community fundraising segments, with all activity contained within a single Quebec region.

Name

Café Cambio, coopérative de travail

Legal name

Café Cambio, coopérative de solidarité

Website

https://cafecambio.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Café Cambio is a Quebec solidarity cooperative operating a micro-coffee roastery, health-focused restaurant, and cultural venue in downtown Chicoutimi. It roasts and distributes certified fair trade and organic single-origin coffees across the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region through wholesale, retail, and fundraising channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Independent Neighborhood Cafes (THAFADAC)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Fair trade coffee
• Organic coffee products
• Health-focused restaurant
• Coffee cooperative

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicoutimi

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Coffee Sales: Sales of roasted coffee beans in various formats (300g, 1kg) and origins, including single-origin coffees from cooperatives worldwide and house blends. Coffee is certified fair trade and organic.
2. Restaurant Services: Restaurant operations offering artisanal, inclusive meals in a welcoming community space. Serves breakfast (8h-13h weekdays, until 15h weekends) and lunch (11h30-15h daily, until 20h Thursdays and Fridays).
3. Fundraising Programs: Offers fair trade certified coffee for fundraising campaigns. Includes educational component on fair trade and accompaniment support for organizations.
4. Other Food Products: Sale of complementary products including Inuit teas, hot chocolate, cacao, and sugar from partner organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Café Cambio operates a micro-roastery (micro-brûlerie) that roasts certified fair trade and organic single-origin and blended coffees sourced from producer cooperatives worldwide, together with a health-focused restaurant and cultural venue in downtown Chicoutimi, Saguenay. The cooperative sells roasted coffee, herbal teas, hot chocolate, cacao and cane sugar through its physical cafe, an online wholesale boutique, and over 40 regional retail points-of-sale across the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.

Product overview

Café Cambio, coopérative de travail is a cooperative that operates as both a health-focused restaurant and a micro-coffee roastery (micro-brûlerie) in downtown Chicoutimi, Saguenay, Quebec. The company roasts and sells single-origin coffees from Fair Trade and organic certified cooperatives worldwide, including Guatemala, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo. House blends include Espresso, Fuego, Camping d'automne, Pêche Blanche, Le Nostalgique, and Le Solidaire. The product portfolio also includes a discovery gift set (Coffret découverte), the Inuit herbal tea line (Tisane Inuit) with five flavors, and Camino-brand hot chocolate, cocoa, and cane sugar products sourced from La Siembra cooperative. The cooperative operates a restaurant, micro-roastery, and online store for wholesale and retail customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brûlerie: Micro-roastery operation producing artisanal roasted coffee

Products and services

• Guatemala Single-Origin Coffee Medium roast single-origin coffee from Guatemala, sourced from the Chajulense Va'l Vaq Qujol cooperative, with notes of dark chocolate, plums, and caramel.
• Éthiopie Single-Origin Coffee Single-origin coffee from Ethiopia, sourced from the Yirgacheffe cooperative union representing over 300,000 farming families.
• Bolivie Single-Origin Coffee Light roast single-origin coffee from Bolivia, sourced from AIPEP cooperative, with notes of tea, mint, and apricot.
• Décaféiné Single-Origin Coffee Swiss water process decaffeinated coffee sourced from COMSA and CAC Pangoa cooperatives in Honduras.
• Éthiopie Sidama Single-Origin Coffee Ethiopian Sidama coffee from SCFCU union, medium roast with notes of green tea, grapefruit, oat, and brown sugar.
• Éthiopie Cerise Single-Origin Coffee Natural process Ethiopian coffee from Sidama cooperative union with notes of pomegranate, acai berries, and cherries.
• Colombie Single-Origin Coffee Single-origin Colombian coffee from Fondo Paez cooperative with notes of caramel, brown sugar, and candied fruits.
• Mexique Single-Origin Coffee Dark roast Mexican coffee from Union des producteurs Maya Vinic cooperative in Chiapas with notes of nuts and earthy tones.
• Honduras Single-Origin Coffee Washed process Honduras coffee from COMSA cooperative with notes of marzipan, chocolate raisins, and honeydew melon.
• Honduras Miel Single-Origin Coffee Honey process Honduras coffee from COMSA cooperative with notes of brown sugar and plums.
• Nicaragua Single-Origin Coffee Nicaraguan coffee from PROCOCER cooperative with strong bitter notes, cereals, smoke, and woody flavors.
• Pérou Brun Single-Origin Coffee Peruvian coffee from Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa cooperative with citrus, almond, and fresh fruit notes.
• Pérou Noir Single-Origin Coffee Dark Peruvian coffee sourced from Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa and Cenfrocafe cooperatives with cacao, almond, and berry notes.
• Rwanda Single-Origin Coffee Rwandan coffee from KODUKAK cooperative with chocolate, hazelnut, and brown sugar notes, washed process.
• R.D. Congo Single-Origin Coffee Congolese coffee from Muungano cooperative with milk chocolate, grapefruit, and cranberry notes, washed process.
• Espresso House Blend House espresso blend composed of Bolivia (60%), Honduras Miel (20%), and Ethiopia (20%).
• Fuego House Blend House blend combining Rwanda (75%) and Ethiopia cerise (25%) for a fruity yet smooth profile.
• Camping d'Automne House Blend Autumn blend of Peru (60%), Sumatra (20%), and Colombia (20%) with dark chocolate, mandarin, and cereal notes.
• Pêche Blanche House Blend Seasonal blend of Colombia (25%) and Ethiopia (75%) with white peach, praline nuts, cherry, and raisin notes.
• Le Nostalgique House Blend Traditional dark roast blend composed of Nicaragua (23%), Guatemala (23%), and Peru (44%) for a full-bodied classic taste.
• Le Solidaire House Blend House blend of Colombia and Ethiopia, an all-purpose coffee good for filter and espresso, supporting the Centre de solidarité internationale.
• Coffret Découverte 720g Gift Set Discovery gift set containing six varieties of selected coffees: Rwanda, Colombia, Bolivia, Honduras, Honduras Miel, and Espresso blend.
• Tisane Inuit Thé du Labrador Calming and tonic herbal tea of Labrador tea, bearberry, peppermint, coltsfoot, and fennel seeds. Sold in 20-sachet boxes sourced from Inuit partner Makivvik.
• Tisane Inuit Ronce Petit-Murier Subtle maple-flavoured Inuit herbal tea with blackberry leaves, roasted dandelion root, sarsaparilla, fenugreek seeds, and roasted maté, sold in 20-sachet boxes.
• Tisane Inuit Camarine Noire Intense purple Inuit herbal tea with black crowberry, hibiscus flowers, juniper berries, and poppies, sold in 20-sachet boxes.
• Tisane Inuit Mélange de l'Arctique Arctic Inuit herbal tea with echinacea, Labrador tea, peppermint, elderflower, chamomile, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and coltsfoot, sold in 20-sachet boxes.
• Tisane Inuit Genévrier Golden-hued Inuit herbal tea with juniper berries, echinacea, red clover flowers, lemongrass, and melissa, sold in 20-sachet boxes.
• Tisane Inuit Assortiments 5 Saveurs Assortment box containing all five Inuit herbal tea varieties (20 sachets total).
• Camino Hot Chocolate Chili & Épices Organic fair trade hot chocolate mix with chili, ginger, and cinnamon spices; certified organic, gluten-free, and vegan, 275g package.
• Camino Hot Chocolate Érable Organic fair trade maple-flavoured hot chocolate, certified organic, fair trade, gluten-free, and vegan, 275g package.
• Camino Hot Chocolate Noir Dark hot chocolate with rich cocoa flavour, certified organic, fair trade, and gluten-free, 336g package.
• Camino Hot Chocolate Au Lait Creamy classic milk hot chocolate, certified organic and fair trade, 336g package.
• Camino Cacao Dutch-process alkalized baking cocoa powder sourced from Peru and Dominican Republic, certified organic and fair trade, 224g package.
• Camino Sucre Organic fair trade golden cane sugar from Manduvira cooperative in Paraguay, 1kg package.
• Restaurant Services Health-focused restaurant offering artisanal, inclusive meals and beverages in a welcoming community space at 414 rue Racine Est, Chicoutimi. Serves breakfast (8h-13h weekdays, until 15h weekends) and lunch (11h30-15h daily, until 20h Thursdays and Fridays).
• Micro-brûlerie Coffee Roasting Services In-house micro-coffee roasting service roasting over 15,000 kg of certified fair trade and organic green coffee beans annually since 2005, supporting single-origin and house blend products.
• Fair Trade Coffee Fundraising Program Fundraising program offering certified fair trade coffee products to community organizations, schools, and nonprofits, including an educational component on fair trade and accompaniment support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Freshness guaranteed for 21 days post-purchase
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, collaborative, key_account and impact.

• Fairtrade CanadacoreOthersCertifies all Café Cambio coffees as Fairtrade compliant. Provides third-party verification of fair trade practices and pricing.
• Québec VraicoreOthersOrganic certification body certifying Café Cambio's coffee products as biologically produced.
• Cooperative CoffeescoreTechnology or IntegrationImporting cooperative that connects Café Cambio with coffee producer cooperatives worldwide. Provides access to spot inventory and supports the diplomado orgánico training program for producers.
• nOula coop de solidaritécollaborativeStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal cooperative partner sharing common values of sustainability and community development.
• Coop Nord-BiocollaborativeChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional organic product cooperative distributing biological products in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.
• Bizz (magasin d'alimentation saine)key_accountChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey retail partner for Café Cambio products in Chicoutimi.
• Makivvikkey_accountStrategic or Co-development PartnerInuit rights organization whose Tisane Inuit products are sold through Café Cambio. Makivvik protects Inuit rights and operates profitable enterprises in Nunavik.
• On The GroundimpactStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor each sac of R.D. Congo coffee sold, Café Cambio donates $5 to On The Ground to support communities displaced by conflict. Organization focuses on humanitarian aid, financial education, and gender equity.
• Centre de solidarité internationale du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-JeancollaborativeStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner since 2011 for the Le Solidaire blend. CSI develops international development projects, internships, and solidarity trips to Benin, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, and Senegal.
• La Siembra (Camino products)key_accountStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian cooperative that imports Camino products (hot chocolate, cacao, sugar) sold at Café Cambio. Dedicated to putting people and planet at the center of the food system.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pilot Coffee Roasters: Toronto-based specialty micro-roaster and cafe with strong wholesale and DTC presence. Comparable on direct-trade sourcing, cafe-plus-roastery model, and specialty retail channel expansion.
• Bridgehead Coffee: Ottawa-based fair-trade certified specialty roaster and cafe operator. Direct comparable on fair-trade positioning, cafe-plus-wholesale distribution model, and Canadian specialty coffee scale.
• Brûlerie Saint-François: Quebec City micro-roastery and cafe offering specialty coffee roasted in-house with cafe and wholesale channels. Comparable in product mix, scale, and Quebec regional focus.
• Fratello Coffee: Calgary specialty coffee roaster with cafe and wholesale distribution. Comparable on micro-roastery scale, multi-channel distribution, and premium specialty positioning.
• Myriade: Montreal specialty coffee cafe and roaster focused on single-origin and direct-trade coffees. Comparable on quality positioning and Quebec urban cafe/roastery model, though larger in scale.
• Café Saint-Henri: Montreal-based micro-roastery and cafe operating a similar model of in-house artisanal roasting with multi-location cafe and wholesale distribution. Closest comparable on Quebec roastery-cafe model and scale.
• Brûlerie de la Maison: Quebec (Alma) micro-roastery cafe serving the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean-adjacent region. Most direct geographic competitor given overlapping catchment area and similar cafe-plus-roastery model.

Others

• Cooperative Coffees: Importing cooperative of which Café Cambio is a member partner, providing access to producer cooperatives worldwide. Ecosystem/importer rather than direct competitor, but shapes the supply chain.
• La Siembra (Camino): Canadian cooperative supplying the Camino hot chocolate, cacao, and sugar products resold by Café Cambio. Ecosystem supplier and like-minded cooperative partner; not a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Kicking Horse Coffee: Large Canadian fair-trade and organic certified roaster (now owned by Lavazza) with national distribution in grocery and foodservice. Represents the scaled incumbent Café Cambio competes against on shelf.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cafecambio
• Instagraminstagram.com/cafecambiocoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cafecambio

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Café Cambio, coopérative de travail