Canterbury Coffee

What Canterbury Coffee does

Canterbury Coffee is a privately held Canadian specialty coffee roaster and B2B beverage solutions company founded in 1981 and headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, with a Beverage Training Centre in Burnaby. The company roasts and packages 100% Arabica specialty-grade coffee under multiple sub-brands including Canterbury Roastery (its house blend line), Doi Chaang (Beyond Fair Trade), Spirit Bear Coffee Company (Organic and Fairtrade), OneCoffee, and Sacred Acre, plus a complementary "More Than Coffee" line of syrups, beverage concentrates, and accessories such as Upouria Energy Syrup and Torani. Quality is anchored by a Q-Grader certified coffee sourcing manager (one of only 38 in Canada) who also judges regional cupping competitions, and the company adheres to SCA brewing standards.

The business model is a B2B account-based direct sales motion targeting restaurants, cafés, retailers, foodservice institutions, and businesses across Canada. Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) recurring roasted coffee product sales including branded and private-label SKUs; (2) equipment and supplies such as espresso machines, syrups, and accessories; and (3) professional services including equipment provisioning, installation, maintenance, barista training, and custom coffee development. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and customers must contact customer service to set up accounts, indicating a consultative sales process rather than self-serve e-commerce.

Customer commitments are reinforced through long-tenured partnerships (Fairtrade Canada since 2001; RGC Coffee for over 30 years) and proprietary Give Back programs, including the Canterbury Roastery community fund and the Beyond Fair Trade program that returns a share of Doi Chaang sales to farming communities in education, healthcare, and equality projects. The company supports operators with seasonal beverage trend content, recipe libraries, and a glossary of specialty coffee terminology, positioning itself as a full-service beverage partner rather than a commodity roaster.

Name

Canterbury Coffee

Legal name

Canterbury Coffee

Website

https://canterburycoffee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Canterbury Coffee is a Canadian B2B specialty coffee roaster founded in 1981, serving restaurants, cafés, retailers, foodservice institutions, and businesses across Canada with 100% Arabica coffee, equipment, barista training, and private label programs under multiple sub-brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting and Foodservice Distribution

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee & Tea Concentrates (Liquid, Extracts, Syrups) (AFAFAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beverage Concentrates, Syrups & Mixers Wholesale (AFAIAGAF)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Foodservice coffee distribution
• B2B beverage solutions
• Private label coffee
• Barista training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnaby

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coffee Product Sales: B2B sales of roasted coffee beans including branded products (Canterbury Roastery, Doi Chaang, OneCoffee, Sacred Acre, Spirit Bear) and private label options. 100% Arabica beans sourced from origins between two tropics.
2. Equipment & Supplies: Sale and distribution of coffee equipment, syrups, beverage concentrates, and accessories including Torani syrups, Dr. Smoothie, Earth's Own products, Fusuro, and Upouria Energy Syrup.
3. Services: Equipment maintenance, barista training, and custom coffee development services supporting the beverage program needs of foodservice operators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Canterbury Coffee roasts, packages, and distributes specialty-grade 100% Arabica coffee and complementary beverage products (syrups, smoothie bases, energy concentrates) to Canadian foodservice operators. The company pairs its coffee portfolio with equipment provisioning and maintenance, barista training at a dedicated Beverage Training Centre, and custom coffee development including private label programs, delivering a complete beverage solution to restaurants, cafés, retailers, and institutional foodservice operators.

Product overview

Canterbury Coffee is a Canadian B2B foodservice and beverage solutions company roasting coffee since 1981. Its portfolio consists of several sub-branded coffee lines — Canterbury Roastery (house blends with community give-back), Doi Chaang (Beyond Fair Trade), Spirit Bear Coffee Company (Organic/Fairtrade), OneCoffee, and Sacred Acre — sold alongside complementary non-coffee products including Upouria Energy Syrup. The company supports these products with operational services: equipment provisioning, maintenance, barista training, custom coffee development, and private label programs. A library of drink recipes showcases how these offerings combine in commercial settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Canterbury Roastery: Canterbury Coffee's own brand of premium coffee blends and single-origin coffees, with proceeds from every kilogram sold allocated to support Canadian communities and global coffee-growing regions.
• Beyond Fair Trade

Products and services

• Canterbury Roastery Canterbury's house brand of premium roasted coffees sold in blends, single-origin, espresso, and decaf formats. 100% Arabica beans, with proceeds from every kilogram sold supporting Canadian communities and global coffee-growing regions through the Canterbury Roastery Give Back program. Aimed at foodservice operators seeking a premium private or branded coffee offering.
• Doi Chaang Specialty coffee brand sourced under the Beyond Fair Trade program, where a percentage of every kilogram sold is returned directly to the farming communities that grow the beans, funding projects in education, healthcare, and equality. Distributed by Canterbury Coffee to foodservice and retail customers in Canada.
• Spirit Bear Coffee Company Specialty coffee brand focused on Organic and Fairtrade certified coffees sourced from Central and South America, Asia, and Africa. Product range includes Spirit Bear LEGENDARY Cold Brew Concentrate, a shelf-stable concentrate with 1-year shelf life from production. Distributed by Canterbury Coffee to foodservice and retail operators.
• OneCoffee Canadian specialty coffee brand carried by Canterbury Coffee. Sold in Canada directly through the Doi Chaang and OneCoffee websites and in the United States through Amazon, in addition to B2B foodservice distribution channels.
• Sacred Acre

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% Arabica beans used across all coffee products
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Fairtrade CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Since 2001, Canterbury Coffee has partnered with Fairtrade Canada to offer Fairtrade Organic certified coffee. The partnership provides Fairtrade Minimum Price as safety net and Fairtrade Premium for producer investment. In 2023, Fairtrade Coffee sales in Canada generated nearly seven million USD in Fairtrade Premiums. Canterbury's Beyond Fair Trade program further extends this partnership.
• RGC CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanterbury Coffee has partnered with RGC Coffee for over 30 years to source green coffee. RGC is one of North America's leading independent importers. For the last two years they have actively participated in RGC's give back programs. RGC has 41 active projects supporting 20,594 families across six different countries.
• Doi ChaangcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDoi Chaang is a brand carried by Canterbury Coffee. The Beyond Fair Trade program ensures that a percentage of every kilogram of coffee sold under the Doi Chaang brand is given directly back to the farming communities that grow the beans. The program funds projects improving access to education, healthcare, and equality.
• Spirit Bear Coffee CompanyflagshipTechnology or IntegrationSpirit Bear Coffee Company has been sourcing Organic and Fairtrade coffees since 2006. Canterbury distributes Spirit Bear products including the LEGENDARY Cold Brew Concentrate. Spirit Bear sources from coffee origins in Central and South America, Asia and Africa supporting environmental health.
• Valle Verde AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the Beyond Fair Trade program's Todos al Agua project located in Amazonas, Peru, the Valle Verde Association implements regenerative soil practices benefiting the environment, coffee product, and farms directly. Project involves reforestation to protect water basins.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Canterbury Coffee