Kits Beach Coffee is the first coffee shop in B.C. to signify its commitment to ending working poverty, by paying all its staff and contracted workers a Living Wage.
The living wage is the hourly amount a family needs to cover basic expenses. The calculation is based on a two-parent family with two children – the most common family unit in BC – with each parent working full-time. The Living Wage for Vancouver is $19.50 an hour.
The seasonal café at Kitsilano Beach makes pour over coffee, cold brew, artisan popsicles, and a selection of locally baked goods and gourmet pop tarts. Their vision is to be hyper-local in serving their community while always thinking big and delicious.
“We see everything we do as an opportunity to be an integral example of how to be a good corporate citizen and neighbour,” said James Boileau of Kits Beach Coffee.
This commitment to paying all staff and contracted workers a Living Wage is the newest commitment Kits Beach Coffee have made as part of their overall Corporate Social Responsibility Platform. From the day Kits Beach Coffee opened, it had a tip matching donation program. When customers leave a tip, it starts a domino of giving. The 5% tip option is wholly donated and matched by Kits Beach Coffee and numerous small businesses and individuals in Kitsilano.
