Now available at London Drugs: A Whole Organic Coffee Store.

I love coffee. I love all of its nuances of flavour and aroma, from the subtle Sumatran to the richness of a French Roast, to the sharp kick-start of a well-pulled espresso.

I also know that coffee is a global product, with all the labour, environmental and supply-chain sustainability issues that come with it.

So it makes me doubly happy every time I see the awesome selection of organic and fairly-traded beans available right at my local London Drugs. It’s like having a specialty organic coffee store right there in the aisle. At last visit (in Vancouver) I counted 9 different brands, each offering several varieties. Enough to keep my taste buds awake for years. Best of all, it seems there is almost always at least one brand on sale, at prices that would strike fear into the heart of a Starbucks accountant.

Here are some highlights:

Ethical Bean– Certified organic and Fair Trade. Roasted in East Vancouver by a company that buys direct and even provides programs to help the locals. Check out this GreenDeal video if you want to know more.

Salt Spring Coffee – Certified organic and Direct Fair Trade. Used to be roasted on Salt Spring Island BC, now expanded to the Lower Mainland. Bonus points for being carbon-neutral and Bullfrog-Powered.

Commercial Drive Coffee – A recent addition to the stable. Fairly Traded and Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Kicking Horse Coffee – Roasting in Canada for over 15 years. Certified organic, FairTrade and Kosher, they also support the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Marley Coffee – Started by Bob’s son Rohan, Marley Coffee is certified organic and Fair Trade, with partial proceeds going to youth soccer programs.

Level Ground Trading– Based in Victoria BC. Certified organic and Direct Fair Trade

Doi Chaang – Grown in Thailand, roasted in Canada. Certified organic and Fair Trade.

Pacific Coffee Roasters – Certified organic and Fair Trade. Roasted in Chilliwack.

Resiprocate – A division of Canterbury Coffee, certified organic and Fair Trade. They also give back through partnerships with local causes and organizations.

London Drugs Merchandise Manager Ken Vannucci is largely responsible for this wealth of choice, giving local roasting companies more shelf space than any drug store I know of. So whether you are a coffee connoisseur, a tired green shopper or just a discriminating caffeine addict, take a stroll down the green coffee lane at London Drugs.

It’s the real Green Deal!