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Invermere · CA

Kicking Horse Coffee

Since 1996 · Elana Rosenfeld, Leo Johnson

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Overview

Kicking Horse was founded in 1996 by Elana Rosenfeld and Leo Johnson in a garage in Invermere, B.C., after the couple sold their Blue Dog Café and discovered they couldn't source decent espresso beans without driving to Calgary or Vancouver. By the time Italian conglomerate Lavazza acquired an 80% stake in 2017 in a $215 million deal, Kicking Horse had become Canada's largest organic and Fair Trade certified coffee company; Rosenfeld retained 20% and stayed on as CEO until 2023, when she was appointed to the Order of British Columbia.

Known for

  • Canada's largest organic and Fair Trade certified coffee roaster
  • Acquired by Lavazza in 2017 in a $215M deal
  • Cheeky bag names and 'kick-ass' marketing
  • Kootenay-grown small-town brand with national grocery distribution
  • 1% for the Planet and biodegradable packaging commitments

Why it matters

Kicking Horse proved that a small-town Canadian roastery built on organic and Fair Trade principles could scale to national grocery distribution and a nine-figure exit while maintaining its founding identity. It is the rare case of a craft brand surviving private-equity (Swander Pace 2012) and conglomerate (Lavazza 2017) ownership without losing its voice.

Production

destoning
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head roaster
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color sorting
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roaster machine
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filter equipment
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cupping frequency
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roastery location
Invermere, British Columbia
espresso equipment
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annual volume tonnes
3175

Café

491 Arrow Road, Invermere, BC V0A 1K2

Recognitions

  • Order of British Columbia for Elana Rosenfeld (2024)
  • Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Rosenfeld)
  • Best Place to Work in Canada

Sources

More roasters