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Second Cup Café, is a Canadian restaurant chain, coffee retailer, and roaster which operates more than 190 cafes nationwide. Its headquarters are in
Pierrefonds,
Québec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
. Its stores sell hot and cold beverages, pastries, snacks, pre-packaged food items, hot and cold sandwiches, and drinkware, including mugs and tumblers.
History
Second Cup was founded, in 1975, by
Tom Culligan and
Frank O'Dea
Francis O’Dea, OC (born 1945 in Montreal) is a Canadian entrepreneur, humanitarian and author. He left a lifestyle of homeless panhandling and in 1975 co-founded the Second Cup chain of coffee stores with Tom Culligan.
He is currently the Cha ...
, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Culligan eventually purchased O'Dea's shares, expanding it to a 150-store chain; he sold it, in 1988, to
mmmuffins
Marvellous Mmmuffins, also known as mmmuffins, was a Canadian restaurant chain that sold coffee and muffins. It was established in 1979 and granted its first franchise in 1980.
Its popularity peaked in the 1980s and 1990s, when most shopping ma ...
founder Michael Bregman.
As chairman and CEO, Khalil Al Gawad took Second Cup public in 1993. Al Gawad sold the company to
Cara Operations Limited, in 2002.
In November 2006, Cara sold Second Cup to Dinecorp Hospitality, which was controlled by former Cara CEO Gabe Tsampalieros, who became chairman of Second Cup. Tsampalieros died on March 11, 2009. The trademark rights were subsequently split between Canada (The Second Cup Ltd.) and international (The Second Cup Coffee Company Inc.). Stacey Mowbray was head of the Canadian company and Jim Ragas leads the international company. Stacey Mowbray, Second Cup CEO from 2008 to 2014, claimed that Second Cup was in “growth mode.”
One of her goals was to obtain environmental and fair trade certifications for every coffee blend on the Second Cup menu.
Second Cup was featured in an episode of
Undercover Boss (Canadian TV series)
''Undercover Boss Canada'' is a Canadian reality television series, based on the British series of the same name. Each episode depicts a person who has a high management position at a major Canadian business, deciding to become undercover as an ...
which aired in March 2012 on the
W Network
W Network (often shortened to W) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts general entertainment programming oriented towards a female audience.
W Network was established in ...
. The episode is under CEO Stacey Mowbray's direction. She demonstrates her effort to inspire change from the perspective of her frontline employees, and promote Second Cup's image as a company that cares and provides the best café experience.
Tassimo
The Tassimo Hot Beverage System is a consumer single-serve coffee system that prepares one-cup servings of espresso, regular coffee, tea, hot chocolate and various other coffee drinks, notably those including milk such as latte or cappuccino. T ...
Second Cup beverages were launched in September 2012, In April 2015, Second Cup launched Rewards program, which allow its users to earn points using a mobile app.
Alix Box was the CEO and president at The Second Cup Ltd. from 2014 until suddenly leaving in May 2017. She was temporarily replaced by Garry MacDonald.
On April 12, 2018, Bregman announced an agreement with National Access Cannabis to develop and convert a network of recreational
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
stores. Second Cup agreed to convert some of its western Canada locations into recreational cannabis dispensaries, with no cannabis-related products to be sold at its cafés, and conditional on Second Cup receiving the necessary licenses from the province, as well as approval from franchisees and landlords.
. Second Cup stated that this alliance would provide an opportunity for the company to leverage its real estate assets to drive value for the franchisees, without affecting plans for new product innovation and opening new cafés across Canada.
In August 2018, the company was already considering which of its locations in Ontario might be suitable as cannabis retail stores as an alternative to their current use, in conjunction with National Access Cannabis.
Aegis Brands
On November 8, 2019, Second Cup announced plans to change its name to Aegis Brands Inc. () pending stockholder approval the following year. The company was scheduled to open two
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
stores in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
, in early 2020, and planned expansion into
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.
On December 5, 2019, Aegis Brands, Inc. announced its acquisition of
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
-based coffeehouse chain
Bridgehead Coffee
Bridgehead is a fair trade coffeehouse, coffee retailer, and coffee roaster chain based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In addition to coffee and organic teas, it sells soups, salads, sandwiches and snacks made in its own kitchen. In November 2006, Bri ...
for $11 million.
In February 2021, Aegis Brands agreed to sell Second Cup to Quebec-based Foodtastic Inc. for an undisclosed sale price which included $14 million in cash. Aegis will continue to operate Bridgehead Coffee and Hemisphere Cannabis Co. Foodtastic chief executive Peter Mammas said that the company intended to expand the brand to 300 locations by 2025, from the existing store count of 190.
Second Cup Café
Coffee bean production
During the harvesting process, Second Cup accepts two methods of coffee cherry processing to separate the
coffee bean
A coffee bean is a seed of the ''Coffea'' plant and the source for coffee. It is the pip inside the red or purple fruit often referred to as a coffee cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit. Even thou ...
from the cherry. The first process is called dry or unwashed. The cherries are sun dried and then milled to remove the outside layers. The resulting coffee has greater body and less acidity. The second process is called wet or washed whereby the seeds are squished out from the skin of the cherry. The seeds are then soaked in a fermentation tank to remove the outside layers. The resulting coffee is consistent and more acidic.
In the
coffee roasting
Roasting coffee transforms the chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans into roasted coffee products. The roasting process is what produces the characteristic flavor of coffee by causing the green coffee beans to change in taste. ...
process, Second Cup uses batch roasting, small batches of 100–200 kg of seeds being placed in individual roasters. This method ensures greater quality control compared to other methods such as continuous roasting.
Coffee bean regions
Second Cup's coffee portfolio consists of five different categories organized by region and whether there is added flavor. The categories are called: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Multi-Region, and Flavored. Second Cup receives coffee blends from a wide range of countries.
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
is Central America's smallest coffee-growing country, and Second Cup's El Toucan blend is harvested from the volcanic mountain of Panama.
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
has 12% of the world's coffee supply and is where Second Cup gets its San Agustin blend from. Second Cup's Fazenda Vista Alegre blend is from Brazil.
Rainforest Alliance
The
Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with staff in more than 20 countries and operations in more than 70 countries. It was founded in 1987 by Daniel Katz, an American environmental activist, who serves ...
is an international non-profit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and promote the fair treatment of workers. Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farms must meet standards that include the protection of farms, soils, waterways, and wildlife; the workers are in safe working conditions; and the workers enjoy good housing, medical care, and access to schools for their children.
80% of Second Cup coffees are Rainforest Alliance Certified. CEO Stacey Mowbrey's goal is to obtain environmental and fair trade certifications for every blend on Second Cup's menu.
The following certifications will allow this goal to be reached.
As of fall 2011, Second Cup offers 10 Whole Leaf Tea Blends and Herbal Tisanes that are Fair Trade Certified. These include:
Earl Grey tea
Earl Grey tea is a tea blend which has been flavoured with oil of bergamot. The rind's fragrant oil is added to black tea to give Earl Grey its unique taste. Traditionally, Earl Grey was made from black teas such as Chinese keemun, and there ...
,
English breakfast tea
English breakfast tea or simply breakfast tea is a traditional blend of black teas originating from Assam, Ceylon and Kenya. It is one of the most popular blended teas, common in British and Irish tea culture.
English breakfast tea is a black ...
, English Breakfast Decaffeinated,
Green tea
Green tea is a type of tea that is made from '' Camellia sinensis'' leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since the ...
,
Jasmine tea
Jasmine tea ( or ) is tea scented with the aroma of jasmine blossoms. Typically, jasmine tea has green tea as the tea base; however, white tea and black tea are also used. The resulting flavour of jasmine tea is subtly sweet and highly fragra ...
,
Chai tea
Masala chai (, ; Urdu: مصالحہ چائے, Hindi: मसाला चाय) is an Indian tea beverage made by boiling black tea in milk and water with a mixture of aromatic herbs and spices. Originating in India the beverage has gained worl ...
, Wildberry,
Chamomile tea
Chamomile (American English) or camomile (British English; see spelling differences) ( or ) is the common name for several plants of the family Asteraceae. Two of the species, ''Matricaria recutita'' and ''Anthemis nobilis'', are commonly u ...
,
Mint tea
Maghrebi mint tea (Maghrebi Arabic: , ''atay''; ar, الشاي بالنعناع, aš-šhāy bin-na'nā'; ), also known as Moroccan mint tea and Algerian mint tea, is a North African green tea prepared with spearmint leaves and sugar.
It is ...
, and Holiday Blend.
Second Cup firebombing incident
In 2001,
Rhéal Mathieu, a member of
Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) who in 1967 had been sentenced to nine years in prison for terrorist activities including murder, was convicted of
firebombing
Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs.
In popular usage, any act in which an incendiary ...
three Second Cup locations in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. The responsibility for the bombings was claimed by the ''Brigade d'autodéfense du français'' (BAF) (translated as Self Defence Brigade of French). BAF claimed it had targeted the stores because of the company's use of its incorporated English name "Second Cup" demanding inclusion of French in the name of the business. After the media coverage of the fire bombings, many Second Cup locations in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
changed their signs to ''Les cafés Second Cup''.
See also
*
List of coffeehouse chains
This list of notable coffeehouse chains catalogues the spread and markets share of coffeehouses world-wide. This list excludes the many companies which operate coffeeshops within retail establishments, notably bookstores and department stores, o ...
References
External links
*
MySecondCup.com(International)
{{Food chains in Poland
Companies formerly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Companies based in Mississauga
Restaurants established in 1975
Coffee brands
Coffeehouses and cafés in Canada
1975 establishments in Ontario