A Vancouver-based coffee roaster has just opened a large new café in the Tri-Cities.
JJ Bean Coffee Roasters has officially opened its renovated space at Sunwood Square — a major mall at the corner of Lougheed Highway and Westwood Street.
The store at 940-3025 Lougheed Hwy. has been open for just three days, said manager and Port Moody resident Steve Peters, who said customers are starting to find the place.
"Word of mouth is our big thing," he said.
JJ Bean has long been known for its locally-roasted coffee, but the new Coquitlam shop hopes to become known for its doughnuts, too.
In fact, it's the first JJ Bean store where doughnuts are being made fresh daily, said Peters, who prefers the "classics" like a traditional glazed doughnut, but said the Rail Town, a take on the Boston Cream filled with coffee cream, is sure to become the store's signature pastry.
"They are out, usually the first wave comes out at 7 a.m., we do bake them fresh, daily," Peters said.
In addition to traditional coffee drinks, and signature JJ Beans, customers can enjoy lunch or breakfast at the store, with a number of wraps and sandwiches as well as cold drinks available.
The shop has a West Coast vibe with a polished concrete floor, timbers and a fire place, where customers can gather for a hot beverage on a cool day.
During warmer days, patio seating will be available, but Peters said, but the tables and chairs have yet to arrive.
"They're a step behind us," said Peters, who said the coffee shop opened on Monday, June 27, and will have grand opening sale during the last week of July, beginning July 25, with different products on sale daily.
In the past five days customers have started to find the shop but Peters said he's looking forward to the opening of the new Save-On-Foods store at Sunwood Square, which he believes will "drive traffic" to the mall.
Save-On-Foods has been renovating space in the former Safeway store and has applied to city council to be able to sell wine and cider.
Meanwhile, the Coquitlam JJ Bean store is the second café for the popular chain in the Tri-Cities, as there is already a JJ Bean at Suter Brook shopping plaza and residential area at 77-400 Capilano Rd. in Port Moody.
As well, the company has numerous outlets throughout Vancouver, Burnaby and North Vancouver.
The Coquitlam café would bring the total number of stores in Metro Vancouver to 24.
Owned by the Neate family, which has been roasting coffee in Vancouver for four generations. The company was started in 1996, by John Neate Jr. (JJ) who established JJ Bean Coffee Roasters to “honour people through great coffee, food, spaces and service,” a website states.
It follows an "Over and Above" program to pay coffee producers fair prices for beans, supports clean water in Ethiopia and a number of other fundraising initiatives.
JJ Bean café at Sunwood Square is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends and holidays.
- with a file from Janis Cleugh, Tri-City News
