A NEW ECO-RESPONSIBLE COFFEE SHOP FOR YALETOWN
AGRO Café
1201 Hamilton St. (Hamilton and Davie), Vancouver
map
604-605-1292
info@agrocafe.org
The elephant may be long gone and the Norwegian CD collection along with it, but you can still sip on an exotic brew at the corner of Hamilton and Davie now that the
Agro Cafe has moved into the space once inhabited by
Don’t Show the Elephant.
Officially, the place opened on October 16, but the café had been pulling cappuccinos for nearly a week before that date, despite the fact that its sci-fi orange and chrome coffee roaster had been languishing unhooked by the entrance like a Dr. Who Bot doorman, right next to rough, hemp sacks spilling over with coffee beans.
This trendy combination of mondo third worldliness and industrial metal seems to be the theme here at the Agro. The rest of the brewing equipment -- state of the art dream machines, newly polished and pristine from the factory -- form a high-tech contrast to the parched earth tones and ebony art collection that makes up the cafe's African beat. Step into the room and encounter carved wooden statues; hand-turned, inlaid serving bowls; batik wall hangings; dark leather chairs; and slide shows projections depicting scenes from the dark continent against the stark, white walls -- if you still can't hear the tribal drums, you will once you’ve sipped on a cup of the Agro’s organic, fair trade, Kenyan coffee.
There’s more to all this than just clever theme decor. Proprietor
Blake Hanacek has spent a considerable amount of his young years in the coffee growing regions of Kenya and he is a member of the non-governmental AGRODEV (Agricultural Growers Resource Organization Developing Economic Viability). The organization is an advocate for global responsibility that works to assist farmers in poor countries maintain their self sufficiency through the establishment of fair priced markets for their agricultural products, so that they in turn, can afford to produce higher quality, more environmentally sound crops.
Says Hanacek, “with this
Crop2Cup methodology we’re not just selling organic, fair trade, great-tasting coffee, we’re promoting a way of life.�
It’s a rescue project where the educational quotient is meant to work both ways. In order to raise the social awareness of his customers and encourage them to learn more about coffee, its origins, production methods and supply chains, Hanacek is planning to run a series of in-store cupping sessions. He is also supporting a coffee grounds composting program which will allow customers to recycle their coffee been waste to help enrich the soil at UBC farm.
Well, that’s just to start. As Hanacek explains, "It’s this “Think Global – Keep it Local" kind of initiative that enables Vancouverites to start their day making a positive contribution to the future of the global environment – merely by having a cup of coffee and knowing that the system that produced it is an open and transparent one."
And oh yes, just in case you were wondering, the famous transparent restroom is still where the Elephant left it.
FILED BY: Rhonda May
DATE: October 15, 2006
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ALL THE FACTS
Cuisine: Coffee drinks, pastries
Price:
Hours: 8 AM – 9 PM Mon – Thurs/ 8 AM – 10 PM Fri-Sat/ 9 AM – 5 PM Sun
Credit Cards:
Opened: October 16, 2006
Owners: Blake Hanacek.
Specialties: Free trade, organic coffee from Kenya.
The Must Try Dish: Try a simple cup of black coffee, without all the milk and sweetners -- that way you can really appreciate the difference.
Other Features: When's the last time you saw quality, leather-covered counter stools in a corner coffee shop?
Dress: Hey, this is Yaletown. What you look like in a coffee shop will never be as important as who you can impress out on the patios.
Seats:
Noise level: low to moderate until the machines are in use, and then it's loud.
Categories: Yaletown, Cafes, Eco-Sensitive,
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OTHER OPINIONS
