Established in March 2018, Birch Bark coffee is certified organic, Fair Trade coffee that is SPP (the acronym of the Spanish name, Simbolo de Pequeños Productores) certified, meaning that it's grown and produced by farmers that are Indigenous descendants.  

We recognize the need for an Indigenous inclusion continuum that extends globally, beginning with the Indigenous women and men farmers producing Birch Bark coffee beans to the customers supporting our cause-driven movement to the Indigenous families across Canada impacted by poor water conditions.

Here at the Birch Bark Coffee Company, we believe that an on-going process of choice instills, not just a collective self-determination, but also an individual self-determination and nurtures a journey for people to determine their own economic, social and cultural improvement and at the same time ensuring our beans are ethically sourced. 

Our Coffee Producers, Roaster & Certifications

All of our coffee carries the Small Producers Certified Symbol (SPP) and the Canada Organic Logo.

SPP is a label that represents an alliance among organized small producers to build a local and global market that values the identity and the economic, social, cultural and ecological contributions of products from Small Producers’ Organizations.

This alliance is based on a relationship of collaboration, trust and co-responsibility among women and men who are small producers, with buyers and consumers. The SPP is backed by an independent certification system.

Having proper labels on our products helps us to make better informed decisions, not just as a consumer, but for our families, in turn, we are able to support the families that grow and produce our products. From this we can make better choices which allows us to make better informed decisions about what businesses we want to support based on their practices.

There are many logos on the market, and you must do your due diligence to stay informed as there are some that can be misleading. Birch Bark Coffee Company chose to go with SPP because the movement behind is parallel to our truth and reconciliation and their values and beliefs were uniquely similar.

The SPP is the first Fair Trade Farmer-Owned Certification System and the next evolution of Fair Trade by Small Farmers, for Small Farmers. It has been over ten years in the making and demonstrates perseverance and persistence to have a "Just Trade" system in place for all Small Farmers.

Each time you look at a Birch Bark Coffee Bag and see the SPP logo you will know it is much more than just a tiny logo it is representing the emerging leadership of small farmers in global trade. It is about self-determination and taking a leadership role. 

Everything that SPP stands for exists in Birch Bark Coffee Company and we are proud to be true supporters.

Hundreds of years of colonialism, unjust trade and marginalization that the Small Farmers continue to go through is reflective of Canadian history and what our Indigenous communities in Canada endured.  

SPP is a cause-driven movement in a world where certification systems have been defined and controlled by people in the global north. The system is impressive, with General Standards incorporating four dozen criteria for small farmer member organizations, including maximum individual farm sizes and a maximum percentage of farm work performed by hired farm workers. Buyers who use the SPP must meet nearly three dozen criteria, including a minimum of five percent annual volume growth in program purchases.  Perhaps most impressive, the SPP is run and governed by the farmers themselves.  After decades of this movement being essentially managed by offices thousands of miles away from source, farmers are now in the driver’s seat.

Birch Bark Coffee Company are proud supporters of the non-profit group, the Foundation of Organized Small Producers (FUNDEPPO) and we are even more excited that each and everyone of our coffee bags carries the Certified Small Producer Symbol.

Every bag of coffee you purchase helps support SPP and by encouraging people to read the Birch Bark Web site it helps spread the word and make this world a better place.

Remember to look for the SPP symbol wherever you shop and when you purchase your next coffee as it represents true authentic Fair Trade.

Birch Bark Coffee Company is a small social enterprise slowly innovating the coffee industry with its cause-driven initiatives. As we began to grow within months, we outgrew our coffee roaster and had to seek another coffee roaster who maintained the same values and beliefs as we had.

It did not take us long to form a great relationship with an Atlantic Co-operative called "Just Us” that set out to become Canada's first Fair Trade Coffee Roaster in 1995.

What really stood out to Birch Bark Coffee Company about Just Us was their friendliness and willingness to "believe" in our company’s initiative. What sets them apart, in my opinion, is their mission to "Put People and the Planet before Profits". They are dedicated to social justice for Latin America and are true supporters of SPP and one of the driving forces behind local and international change. 

Just Us is roasting Birch Bark Coffee's 6 blends, 4 days a week so we are able to bring you some of the freshest and finest coffee beans in the world exclusive to Birch Bark Coffee Company.

Miigwetch, Nia:wen, Hai Hai, Merci, Kinanaskotmitin, Qujannamiik, Wela’lin, She:kon,Tansi

- Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow, Founder of Birch Bark Coffee Co.