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Balzac's Coffee Roasters

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Balzac's Coffee Roasters
IndustryRestaurants
GenreCoffee house
ServicesCoffee
Websitebalzacs.com

Balzac's Coffee is a Canadian coffee company with sixteen retail locations across Southwestern Ontario and the GTA, including Toronto Niagara, Kitchener, Stratford, Guelph, and Kingston.[1] The first Balzac’s café was opened in Stratford, Ontario, in 1996, by entrepreneur Diana Olsen.[2] Named after the famous French novelist and famed coffee drinker Honoré de Balzac, the cafes serve conventional and fair trade blends, as well as espressos, hot chocolate and a variety of cold beverages. Each Balzac's Coffee location has commissioned a café poster unique to the community it serves.

Balzac's was featured in the sixth season of Dragon's Den; two of the venture capitalists on the show bought into the company.[3] In 2016, the company started a new business, selling coffee beans in grocery stores across Canada, including Loblaws, Sobeys and Whole Foods.[4]

In 2024 Balzac's Anniversary Blend coffee brand won an award from Western Grocer for Best New Product in the Whole Bean Coffee category [5] The company is owned by District Ventures Capital, a private equity firm led by Arlene Dickinson.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Café Locations". Balzac's Coffee Roasters. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  2. ^ Anukem, Ony. "Meet Diana Olsen: the founder of Balzac's Coffee Roasters – Women of Influence". Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  3. ^ Buckland, Jason (April 19, 2012). "Memorable winners & losers on 'Dragons' Den': Balzac's Coffee Roasters". MSN Money. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  4. ^ "Balzac's Coffee Roasters' measured expansion puts brand equity above size and profits". Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "Balzac's Coffee Roasters 'Anniversary Blend' wins 2024 Best New Product Awards". Western Grocer. January 29, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  6. ^ "Portfolio". District Ventures Capital. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
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