Café Humble Lion Inc.

What Café Humble Lion Inc. does

Café Humble Lion Inc. is a privately held Montreal-based specialty coffee operator founded in 2013. The company runs two physical café locations in central Montreal: the original at 904 Sherbrooke Street West (opened in 2013, directly in front of McGill University) and a second at 1204 McGill College Avenue (opened in 2017, near Sainte-Catherine Street and Place Ville Marie). The original location states it has served more than one million customers since opening, reflecting a long-tenured, repeat-traffic walk-in customer base primarily composed of students, downtown office workers, and Montreal consumers seeking specialty coffee and a neighborhood café atmosphere. The brand emphasizes organic plant-based milk options, friendly service, and a welcoming environment, as evidenced by customer testimonials on the website.

Name

Café Humble Lion Inc.

Legal name

Café Humble Lion Inc.

Website

https://shop.humblelion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Café Humble Lion Inc. is a privately held Montreal specialty coffee operator running two cafés and a Shopify e-commerce store selling organic oat and almond milk formulated for coffee, serving walk-in and online retail consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Shop & Plant-Based Beverages

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee shop
• Plant-based milk
• Café operations
• Espresso beverages
• Baked goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-store café sales: Physical café locations sell coffee beverages, scones, and other food items directly to consumers at point of sale.
2. E-commerce product sales: Online sales of plant-based milk products (oat milk, almond milk) through their Shopify storefront, billed per unit at point of purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Café Humble Lion operates two walk-in specialty coffee shops in Montreal serving espresso-based beverages, scones and light food, and runs a complementary Shopify online store selling organic oat milk and almond milk formulated to produce creamy latte foam for home or in-café use.

Product overview

Café Humble Lion Inc. is a Montreal-based coffee shop operator offering in-store café services and an e-commerce store for plant-based milk products. The company operates two physical café locations (904 Sherbrooke Ouest since 2013, and 1204 McGill College since 2017) and sells complementary products online including Avoine (bio) organic oat milk and Amande almond milk, both designed for coffee preparation with creamy foam capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-store café service (904 Sherbrooke Ouest) Walk-in specialty coffee shop at 904 Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, serving espresso-based beverages, scones and light food directly to consumers during opening hours (Monday-Friday 7:30-17:30, Saturday-Sunday 10:00-17:00). Open since 2013 in front of McGill University.
• In-store café service (1204 McGill College) Walk-in specialty coffee shop at 1204 McGill College Ave, Montreal, serving espresso-based beverages, scones and light food directly to consumers during opening hours (Monday-Friday 7:30-17:00, Saturday-Sunday 10:00-17:00). Opened in 2017 near Sainte-Catherine Street and Place Ville Marie.
• Avoine (bio) - Organic Oat Milk Organic oat milk designed for coffee preparation, sold per unit at CAD $5.25 through the company's Shopify online store for consumers who want barista-quality plant-based milk at home or in-office.
• Amande - Almond Milk Almond milk designed for coffee preparation, sold per unit at CAD $4.80 through the company's Shopify online store for consumers seeking a barista-quality dairy alternative for espresso drinks at home.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000,000 customers served since 2013 at the Sherbrooke location

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Second Cup: Established Canadian coffee chain offering specialty beverages at scale. Broad incumbent with overlapping customer base in the espresso-and-baked-good category, though operating at far larger scale and lower price point.
• Balzac's Coffee Roasters: Canadian specialty coffee chain with locations across Ontario and beyond. Comparable at the independent-specialty-with-multiple-locations level, though geographically broader than Café Humble Lion's Montreal footprint.
• Pilot Coffee Roasters: Toronto-based specialty roaster and café operator with multiple locations and wholesale accounts. Comparable third-wave specialty café/roaster operating in the Canadian urban specialty segment.

Direct peers

• Saint-Henri Micro-Torréfacteur: Montreal micro-roaster and café operating its own coffee bar and roasting program. Directly comparable as a specialty roaster/café hybrid serving the same premium coffee drinker.
• Café Myriade: Montreal specialty third-wave coffee shop with multiple downtown locations serving espresso-forward drinks and light food. Closest direct in-market competitor to Café Humble Lion in the independent specialty segment.
• Café Olimpico: Long-standing Montreal Italian-style coffee institution with multiple locations including the Mile End flagship. Direct competitor targeting similar downtown/café-culture customers with comparable espresso-and-pastry offerings.
• Pikolo Espresso Bar: Iconic Montreal independent espresso bar in the Quartier Latin. Direct competitor for the same downtown specialty coffee customer and latte-art-driven drink consumer.
• Tommy Café: Montreal specialty coffee shop and roaster with multiple locations. Comparable independent third-wave operator serving espresso-driven menus to urban professionals.

Others

• Oatly: Global oat milk brand and category creator that influences both the café menu and the at-home plant-milk retail market Café Humble Lion participates in through its Shopify storefront.
• Minor Figures: Plant-based coffee milk brand whose oat milk is currently retailed by Café Humble Lion's Shopify store. Direct supplier and channel partner for the company's e-commerce plant-based milk line.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CafeHumbleLion
• Instagraminstagram.com/cafehumblelion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Café Humble Lion Inc.