AboutCoffee(s).com

Tim Hortons’ message to anti-drive-thru critics: parked cars cause more pollution.

Every driver knows that drive-thru windows are convenient, but did you know they also are responsible for all kinds of social and civic good? Drive-thrus are valuable to the elderly, the immobile, parents with small children and, believe it or not, are actually better for the environment than cars in parking lots — or so says TDL, the parent company of Tim Hortons.

Facing a tide of municipal anti-drive-thru ordinances, TDL commissioned a study last year from RWDI consultants, based in Guelph, Ont., comparing total emissions given off by customers’ cars that use drive-thrus and those that use parking lots. The controversial result — that cars using drive-thrus produce lower emissions than those using parking lots — is now part of the company’s arsenal when it takes on councils planning drive-thru bans. Such bans are a challenge for every drive-thru-based business, but the stakes are especially high for Tim Hortons — last year, 50% of its $2 billion revenue came in via the drive-thru.

TDL has successfully fought restrictions in several Ontario cities, including London and Ottawa. Its latest struggle has been in the city of Kingston, where it currently has 15 Tim Hortons drive-thrus and wants to add six more. The conflict arose in April, when Kingston’s planning committee drafted a city plan that prohibited building new drive-thrus in the historic downtown area.

Michael Polowin, an attorney for TDL, sent the city council letters objecting to the plan. City staff — whose drive-thru concerns include traffic congestion and impact on nearby residents as well as emissions — met with Polowin and changed the wording of the policy. But TDL was still unsatisfied. “It made it exceedingly difficult under that language to potentially locate a drive-thru anywhere in Kingston,” says Polowin.

Early last month, Polowin presented the RWDI report to Kingston council. Its conclusion — that drive-thrus create fewer emissions than parking lots — is based on a finding that when parkers turn off their cars, the catalytic converter cools and is less efficient at reducing emissions. And so, when the customer restarts the car, a larger, initial spurt of emissions is released. There are a lot of variables to consider when comparing the emissions generated by a parking lot and a drive-thru. While drive-thrus are generally thought of as bad for the environment because people tend to idle their cars, Michael Lepage, a principal with RWDI, says, “the one thing people have missed is how much time people spend idling in the parking lot.”

Despite Tim Hortons’ claim to have science on its side, the Kingston committee refused to change its plan. TDL then threatened to appeal the matter to the Ontario Municipal Board, which ruled in TDL’s favour in a similar dispute in Ottawa. Polowin also threatened to take civil action if the two sides could not reach a consensus.

On Nov. 20, 2009 the city planning committee agreed to change the official plan so that additional drive-thrus could not be located in “special policy areas,” like the historic downtown, unless the company submits an urban design study that satisfies the overall plan. That, apparently, is a loophole TDL can live with. Carbon-conscious coffee drinkers, meanwhile, are free to resort to an even greener alternative: walking.

Just as Tim Hortons launches its 24th annual Roll Up The Rim contest, McDonald’s is promoting their coffee a different way. Free coffee for everyone. As  McDonald’s Canada is launches its third, two-week coffee giveaway, The burger giant says the timing has nothing to do with Tim Hortons’ famed contest. They say the timing is to capitalize on the excitement following the Olympics.

McDonald’s first tried this promotion in April 2009, then again in November 2009.

The last two promotions were mornings only.

This time, you can walk into a McDonald’s any time of the day and get a free small coffee, no purchases required.

Meanwhile, Tim Hortons will be doing it’s usual round of Roll Up The Rim.

Prizes include 40 Toyota RAV4s, 100 cash prizes of $100,000, 1,000 Toshiba netbooks, 25,000 gift cards and more than 31 million free products.

Another Canadian coffee chain, Country Style -  is now serving free medium coffees on Wednesday between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m.

According to the Toronto Environmental Alliance,  the environment loses when coffee drinkers are encouraged to Roll Up The Rim, the group charged Monday.

Tim Hortons, which is no stranger to controversy for its disposable cups despite the coffee giant’s effort to promote its commitment to recycling, has begun it’s annual “Roll Up The Rim Contest” where coffee drinkers are encouraged to roll up the rim of their disposable coffee cup to reveal if they have one a prize.

“Torontonians don’t win by rolling up the rim,” Dr. Franz Hartmann, executive director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, told QMI Agency. “We’d like to see a lot (fewer) coffee cups being used here in Toronto. A lot of resources go into making a coffee cup and too often they end up going into garbage. In fact, they can’t be recycled in the city of Toronto … it’s a pretty significant waste of resources.”

Hartmann said that Tim Horton’s should find a better way to engage people that doesn’t end in a landfill.

“It’s a contest that requires people to consume a product that frankly creates a lot of garbage and uses a lot of precious natural resources,” Hartmann said. “You’ve got to question why they are doing it. If they say on one hand, ‘we care about the environment,’ and on the other hand are promoting this sort of contest, it just doesn’t add up.”

David Morelli, a spokesman for Tim Horton’s, said the chain has tried but hasn’t found a better model for the 24-year-old contest. He went on to state that the company “must consider maintaining the odds of winning overall, preserving the integrity of the program — there is a host of issues involved,” adding that they have even looked at handing out a scratch card with the coffee.

“We haven’t found a solution that’s different from the cups just yet but it is something we’re looking at.”

The company does offer an online game but the prizes are different for the paperless version.

The company spokesman said the popular contest is not about encouraging waste but about “saying thanks to the customers for their business,” by giving people a one-in-nine chance to win a prize.

Most of the prizes are free Tim Hortons products, but this year the chain is also giving away 40 Toyota 2010 RAV4s and 100 cash prizes of $10,000.

Tim Hortons stressed that the cups are recyclable — if you can find a place that recycles them.

About 130 locations in Toronto and 400 locations across Canada collect the cups for recycling.

Tim Hortons paper coffee cups are recyclable in other municipalities, as are the plastic lids, but the two items together can’t be sorted by Toronto’s current recycling programs.

Tim Hortons is no stranger to controversy over its cups, especially in Hogtown.

In 2008, the city of  Toronto eventually spared the Tim Horton’s coffee cup and lid from a citywide ban. The city also decided not to ban single-use coffee cups, instead referring the ban back to staff to consult further with the coffee companies, including Starbucks and Tim Hortons.

Did you know that for less than $500.00 you can start a coffee service company that generates you over a $1,000.00 a month by only working a few hours a week,  supplying local businesses and offices with their coffee, and coffee supplies?Many already within the industry have not been so open about how much it actually cost to open a coffee shop or open a coffee service business.

There are two reasons for this.

1. They are trying to sell something. This may be in the form of expensive equipment, or consulting.
2. They don’t want to create more competition for themselves.

There are many things to consider about starting a coffee shop or coffee business and many bases to cover to ensure your venture in the coffee industry is successful. Financing, market statistics,  the best location for your coffee shop, important things to know when purchasing espresso machines, where to purchase the best coffee beans, equipment you must have,  and how to keep up with the coffee industry, among other things.

Coffee Shop Secrets is an ebook written by an industry insider, and provides a wealth of valuable information for any prospective coffee shop owner. This amazing ebook will provide you with experience, contacts, and know-how to successfully run your own coffee business!

Find out how Wayne Mullins opened a coffee shop for less than the price of a new car, in under 6 months and didn’t use a single penny of his own money!

Learn the strategies and tactics it takes to make it in the coffee industry! Coffee Shop Secrets is not for people who think they can sit on their couch and have a coffee shop magically open for you. Opening a coffee shop is work! But Coffee Shop Secrets will guide you straight through the process with the fewest possible mistakes (saving you money and your valuable time).

Go ahead and take the first step.  Get some help from someone who has been there, done that, and gotten the t-shirt!

Click here to order Coffee Shop Secrets today! Satisfaction is guaranteed!

As part of a national campaign promoting McDonald’s restaurants, a downtown Vancouver lamppost [6th Avenue at Cambie Street] became part of an optical illusion, appearing to pour coffee into a giant cup on the sidewalk.

The post was wrapped in brown vinyl to resemble poured coffee, while an oversized carafe was attached to the end.

Kopi Luwak or civet coffee is made by brewing the undigested coffee beans in the crap of the Asian Palm Civet, a weasel-like mammal. The civet’s stomach enzymes break down proteins in the beans giving the coffee a less bitter taste.

And even though the coffee is made from feces-beans,is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling for between $120 and $600 USD per pound, and is sold mainly in Japan and the United States.

This brilliantly executed idea was created by design agency Ogilvy Beijing of China for Maxwell House Coffee. When the doors opened, sleepy people in an office building were shocked awake, providing an effect that the designers figured mimics the effects of drinking a cup of coffee.

The design wont an international design award for “Best Use of Ambient Media: Large Scale”in 2008.

Most coffeemakers seem to be either cheap pieces of crap, or too expensive for any of us but the most devoted coffee drinkers. It is often difficult to find a modestly priced coffeemaker that still makes a decent cup of coffee.

Farberware seems to have filled this hole with their 12-Cup FCM12SS coffee maker. Finished in stainless steel, this coffee maker also features a 24 hour digital clock with programmable timer and adjustable brew strength selection.

Coming in at around $40 to $50, the large 12 cup capacity coffee maker is suitable for large families or serious coffee drinkers. You can wake up to freshly brewed coffee thanks to the 24 hour digital clock and programmable timer.

If you just can’t wait for the coffee to finish brewing, there is also an adjustable “Pause and Pour” feature. For safety there is an auto safety shut off and a blue LED power indicator. Water level is clearly displayed thanks to the window that is also attractively lit with blue LED.

The large carafe is quite durable and is made from thick glass, and the lid prevents steam burn during pour and actually stays on the pot. Fits size 4 cone filters, not annoying flat bottom filters.

There do however seem to be some minor flaws with the unit. The opening for the water reservoir is reletively small making it a bit of a challenge to pour in water without spilling. The filter basket must be firmly seated or lid won’t close. In turn, this will prevent the coffee maker from turning on, and if you lift the lid during the brewing process, the safety shut off will power off the coffee maker. The markings on the carafe also appear to be slightly different from the 6 oz cup standard, so you may have to adjust your coffee recipe accordingly.

In our opinion, this is an excellent value for the money. The coffee maker is very sleek looking with the blue LED and the stainless steel finish. It is very durable, and brews an excellent cup of coffee, which is what it really comes down to, doesn’t it?

Are you looking to purchase green coffee beans? Bookmark this list as we will expand it and update it as we come across new merchants that you can order green coffee beans from.

Equator Coffee Roasters

Fair Trade Certified, Organic and Environmentally Sustainable, Locally and Freshly Roasted. commitment to freshly roasted coffee is what puts the taste of our coffee beyond that of most roasters in Canada. What better way to have the freshest coffee around than to roast it yourself. Each of these coffees have been tested to insure the highest quality available. All are fair trade certified and organic. Enjoy trying different roasts and creating your own unique blends. Shipping is included on all green coffee as long as the order is a minimum of two pounds.

9a Houston Dr.,
P.O. Box 1088,
Almonte, Ontario
K0A 1A0
Tel.: 1.877.equator or 1.613.256.5960
Fax: 1.613.256.4166
info@equator.ca

http://www.equator.ca/

Merchants of Green Coffee Green ‘Coffee Shop’

Merchants of Green Coffee specializes in the sourcing, importing and marketing of the highest quality certified green arabica coffees.

2 Matilda Street
Toronto, Ontario
M4M 1L9 /
(416) 741-5369

www.merchantsofgreencoffee.com

The Big Carrot Natural Food Market

348 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M4K 1N8
(416) 466-2129 /

www.thebigcarrot.ca
Green beans and coffee roasters.

Karma Coop

Carries a comprehensive inventory of health food and natural products, unprocessed and prepared, plus a broad range of standard grocery items, including coffees and teas, coffee substitutes, herbal teas and fresh spices.

739 Palmerston Avenue
Toronto, ON
M6G 2R3
(416) 534-1470

http://www.karmacoop.org

Luba’s Coffee

Luba’s offers a large selection of imported coffee beans and teas (loose and packaged). They will grind coffee beans to the customers’ specifications. They carry specialty syrups, flavoured coffee beans, organic, Free Trade coffee beans, de-caff beans, as well as an interesting choice of tea and coffee-making accessories.

St. Lawrence Market
9 Front Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5E 1C2
(416) 865-1793

http://www.lubascoffee.com/

GreenCoffee.ca

Offers a selection of green organic, shade grown, fair trade coffee, as well as conventional coffee, at a competitive price compared to commercially roasted coffee. You may order online, or through e-mail.

info@greencoffee.ca
604-584-4083
(toll free 1-877-303-8833)

http://www.greencoffee.ca

This silver finished coffee mug features a handle that is reminiscent of a pair of brass knuckles. The designer, Cristobal Karich of France wishes to advise us that this cup is for coffee drinking purposes only. What else do you need in the morning besides a good cup of coffee? A good punch in the face?