Kicking Horse Coffee: Celebrating 30 Years of Fairtrade Canada

To celebrate 30 years of Fairtrade in Canada, we sat down with pioneers of the movement to hear the stories behind their businesses, learn about their relationships with farmers, and discover their hopes and dreams for the future.

This is Kicking Horse Coffee.

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Our mission has always been simple: to bring exceptional coffee to the world without compromise. For over two decades, we’ve worked directly with farmers, building relationships rooted in trust, quality, and shared purpose. By ensuring our beans are always Fairtrade and organic, we’re not just delivering great coffee – we’re supporting sustainable practices that benefit communities and the environment. It’s how we honour the craft, the land, and the people behind every cup.

– Cédric Malaga, CEO, Kicking Horse Coffee

This decision was driven by the brand’s belief that great coffee is inextricably linked to fairness for farmers. For Kicking Horse Coffee, sourcing Fairtrade coffee is not just about acquiring beans; it’s about ensuring that these beans are of the highest quality, consistently and dependably, while also being ethically sourced.

Coffee plant nursery at COOPARM in Peru

Building Long-Term Relationships with Coffee Farmers

Kicking Horse Coffee’s long-term relationships with coffee farmers, many of which have spanned over two decades, are central to the company’s success. The company regularly visits its partners, spending time calibrating their coffee’s taste on the cupping table, visiting mills, and walking the farms. These visits are more than just business — they are opportunities to support farmers by improving systems, providing feedback on quality, and developing tailored growth plans that focus on quality standards and sustainable volumes.

Having met Kicking Horse [Coffee], and having established this business relationship, gives sustainability to COMSA, to its producers, to our organization. It gives us hope to continue producing quality coffee for a renewable market, for consumers who are aware of our quality, but also of our projects, who know that the resources that come to COMSA are well invested in favour of small producers and in favour of a society that needs our support.  

– Rodolfo Peñalba, General Manager of the COMSA coffee cooperative, Honduras

Three general managers of Fairtrade cooperatives visit the Kicking Horse Coffee team in Invermere, British Columbia. (Left to right) Griselda from UCASJRC in Nicaragua, Javier from Sol y Café in Peru, Maddie from Kicking Horse Coffee, and Rodolfo from COMSA in Honduras. The visit was a great opportunity to have the general managers learn from each other’s challenges and learnings and for everyone to cup and calibrate on quality.

Addressing the Challenges Facing Coffee Farmers

The team at Kicking Horse Coffee works hard to address the challenges facing coffee farmers, particularly the impacts of climate change and labour shortages. In recent years, emigration from Central and South America to North America has significantly affected coffee-growing communities, leading to labour shortages and an increase in harvest costs. Additionally, this trend has resulted in producers reducing their areas of active production, as well as in a growing number of single-parent families as men leave in search of better economic opportunities abroad. The large amount of money flowing back into the communities from those working in North America is also triggering a declining interest in working on coffee farms. 

To address these challenges, Kicking Horse Coffee is working with their cooperatives to invest in social and business programs for the communities. 

To help farmers better adapt to climate change, the cooperatives offer training programs focused on sustainable farming practices – such as using organic fertilizers and finding natural ways to manage coffee plant diseases. These steps are essential to make coffee farming more resilient, especially in places like Honduras, where extreme weather is a significant challenge.

They also aim to engage the next generation by showing that there is a future in coffee farming. Kicking Horse Coffee is helping build a skilled workforce through leadership programs to encourage the new generation to see coffee farming as an inclusive and equitable profession.

Looking long term, for the coffee industry to thrive, we need to view sustainability and fair compensation as investments. It is our responsibility to educate consumers about the importance of Fairtrade and empower them to make informed purchasing decisions aligned with their values.

– Maddie Bennett, Director of Coffee

The cupping lab at CAFESCOR in Honduras

A Sustainable Future

Consistency in roasting and packaging has been key to maintaining the high standards that set Kicking Horse Coffee apart. By focusing on process and testing, the company ensures that every batch of its kickass coffee stands out, delivering a product that exceeds the expectations of their loyal customers. 

Looking ahead, Kicking Horse Coffee remains committed to Fairtrade and sustainability as core elements of their business. They believe that to run a successful business, they must continue to prioritize fair compensation and sustainable practices. By doing so, they are not only ensuring the future of their own business, but also contributing to the long-term viability of the coffee industry as a whole.