Invermere · CA
Kicking Horse Coffee
Kicking Horse Coffee roasts in Invermere, British Columbia.
Since 1996 · Elana Rosenfeld, Leo Johnson
Overview
Kicking Horse was founded in 1996 by Elana Rosenfeld and Leo Johnson in a garage in Invermere, B.C., after the couple sold their Blue Dog Café and discovered they couldn't source decent espresso beans without driving to Calgary or Vancouver. By the time Italian conglomerate Lavazza acquired an 80% stake in 2017 in a $215 million deal, Kicking Horse had become Canada's largest organic and Fair Trade certified coffee company; Rosenfeld retained 20% and stayed on as CEO until 2023, when she was appointed to the Order of British Columbia.
Known for
- Canada's largest organic and Fair Trade certified coffee roaster
- Acquired by Lavazza in 2017 in a $215M deal
- Cheeky bag names and 'kick-ass' marketing
- Kootenay-grown small-town brand with national grocery distribution
- 1% for the Planet and biodegradable packaging commitments
Why it matters
Kicking Horse proved that a small-town Canadian roastery built on organic and Fair Trade principles could scale to national grocery distribution and a nine-figure exit while maintaining its founding identity. It is the rare case of a craft brand surviving private-equity (Swander Pace 2012) and conglomerate (Lavazza 2017) ownership without losing its voice.
Production
- roastery location
- Invermere, British Columbia
- annual volume tonnes
- 3175
Café
491 Arrow Road, Invermere, BC V0A 1K2
Recognitions
- Order of British Columbia for Elana Rosenfeld (2024)
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Rosenfeld)
- Best Place to Work in Canada