Birch Bark

Their Story

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.  

Birch Bark recognizes 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 their cause-driven movement to the Indigenous families across Canada impacted by poor water conditions.

At Birch Bark Coffee Company, they believe that an ongoing process of choice instills collective self-determination and individual self-determination and nurtures a journey for people to determine their own economic, social, and cultural improvement while ensuring their beans are ethically sourced. 

Coffee Making a Difference

Our Coffee Producers, Roaster & Certifications

All 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.

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

SPP is a cause-driven movement in a world where people in the global north have defined and controlled certification systems. 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 the source, farmers are now in the driver’s seat.

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

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