Second Cup facts for kids
|
Trade name
|
Second Cup Cafe |
|---|---|
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Coffee |
| Founded | 1975 in Toronto, Canada |
| Headquarters |
Mississauga, Ontario
,
Canada
|
|
Key people
|
Peter Mammas |
| Products |
|
| Parent | Foodtastic Inc. |
Second Cup Cafe is a Canadian company that sells coffee, tea, and snacks. It's a popular place to grab hot and cold drinks, pastries, sandwiches, and even mugs. The company's main office is in Mississauga, Ontario.
Contents
How Second Cup Started
Second Cup was created in 1975 by two people, Tom Culligan and Frank O'Dea, in Toronto, Canada. Tom Culligan later bought Frank O'Dea's share of the company. He helped it grow to have 150 stores! In 1988, he sold the company to Michael Bregman, who founded mmmuffins.
In 1993, Second Cup became a "public" company. This means that parts of the company could be bought and sold by people on the stock market. Between 1993 and 2002, different American companies owned Second Cup. Then, in 2002, a company called Cara Operations Limited bought Second Cup.
In 2006, Cara sold Second Cup to Dinecorp Hospitality. Gabe Tsampalieros, who used to be in charge of Cara, became the chairman of Second Cup. After he passed away in 2009, the rights to the Second Cup name were split. One part was for Canada, and another for international stores.
Second Cup was even shown on a TV show called Undercover Boss in 2012. The show highlighted how the company cared about its employees. In September 2012, Second Cup started offering Tassimo drinks. In April 2015, they launched a rewards program. This program lets customers earn points when they buy things, using a special mobile app.
A New Name: Aegis Brands
In November 2019, Second Cup announced that it planned to change its name to Aegis Brands Inc. This change needed to be approved by the company's owners.
A month later, in December 2019, Aegis Brands bought another coffee company called Bridgehead Coffee. This company was based in Ottawa.
In February 2021, Aegis Brands decided to sell Second Cup to a company from Quebec called Foodtastic Inc. The head of Foodtastic, Peter Mammas, said they plan to open many more Second Cup stores. They hope to have 300 locations by 2025, up from about 190 stores at that time.
Caring for the Planet: Rainforest Alliance
Second Cup works with an organization called the Rainforest Alliance. This is a group that helps protect nature and makes sure workers are treated fairly.
Coffee farms that are certified by the Rainforest Alliance must follow special rules. These rules help protect the land, water, and animals. They also make sure that workers have safe conditions, good homes, medical care, and that their children can go to school. A big part of Second Cup's coffee, about 80%, comes from these certified farms.
By the end of 2011, Second Cup also offered ten different kinds of tea that were "fair trade certified." This means the tea growers were paid fairly for their hard work.
Language and Signs
In 2001, there were some incidents at Second Cup stores in Montreal. A group called the Brigade d'autodéfense du français (which means "Self Defence Brigade of French") said they were responsible. They were upset because the company's name, "Second Cup," was in English. They wanted the company to include French in its name in Quebec.
After these events were talked about in the news, many Second Cup stores in Quebec changed their signs. They started using Les cafés Second Cup to include French in their name.
See also
- List of coffeehouse chains
