Bridgehead Coffee facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| coffeehouse | |
| Industry | Coffee, Coffee Roaster, Coffee Beans |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Headquarters | 130 Anderson Street Ottawa, Ontario K1R 6T7 |
|
Number of locations
|
20 |
|
Area served
|
Ottawa |
| Products | coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice, kombucha, bread, granola, baked goods |
Bridgehead is a popular chain of coffee shops based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is known for selling fair trade coffee. This means the coffee beans are bought directly from farmers at a fair price. This helps the farmers and their communities.
Besides coffee and organic teas, Bridgehead also sells tasty food. They make soups, salads, sandwiches, and baked goods in their own kitchen. In 2006, people in Ottawa voted Bridgehead the "Best Coffee/Tea House."
Contents
History of Bridgehead
How Bridgehead Started
Bridgehead began in Toronto, Ontario, in 1981. It was first called Bridgehead Trading. It was started by a group of people who cared about small coffee farmers. They wanted to make sure these farmers, especially in places like Nicaragua, were paid fairly for their hard work.
Bridgehead was the first company in Canada to sell fair trade coffee. Volunteers would sell coffee from church basements. The idea quickly became popular. In 1984, a group called Oxfam Canada bought the company.
Changes with Oxfam Canada
Under Oxfam Canada, Bridgehead became a formal business. Oxfam Canada wanted to sell many different fair trade products, not just coffee. However, this change caused problems. The company started to lose money. By the mid-1990s, Bridgehead was not doing well. This was partly because it focused less on business practices.
A New Beginning
In May 1998, a company from the U.K. called Shared Interest took over the Bridgehead name. They hoped to find someone new to buy it. In 1999, Tracey Clark bought Bridgehead. She wanted to bring it back to its original goal: being a fair trade coffee and tea company.
In April 2000, Bridgehead Inc. was officially formed. The very first Bridgehead Coffeehouse opened on June 17, 2000. It was located in Westboro, Ottawa. At first, Tracey Clark got money from her family and friends. By 2002, 30 different investors owned parts of Bridgehead.
Growth and Expansion
Also in 2002, Tracey Clark opened a central kitchen. This kitchen makes all the food products sold in Bridgehead shops. Bridgehead grew from just one shop in 2000 to nine shops by 2008. Today, there are twenty Bridgehead locations.
In June 2012, Bridgehead opened its own coffee roastery. This is where all the coffee beans sold by the company are roasted. In July 2015, Bridgehead opened a large new location at Pinecrest Road and Iris Street. By September 2015, some Bridgehead shops also started offering drinks like beer and wine from local companies. They even had coffee-inspired cocktails. In 2017, Bridgehead began working with Carleton University to study how coffee beans age.
In December 2019, Bridgehead announced it was being sold to Aegis Brands. This company also owns the Second Cup coffee chain. Then, in January 2024, Aegis Brands sold Bridgehead to Pilot Coffee Roasters.
See also
- List of coffeehouse chains
External links
- Bridgehead's history
