06/17/2026
Coffee prices are on my mind. Today we had to raise our prices up to $20 for our 12 oz bag. We didn't want to do it, but we needed to.
Our business is fairly simple when you look at it from the outside. We buy green coffee, we roast it, put it in bags we stamp by hand and then sell it to you from our maket trailer or our conveniently located Cafe, sometimes as beans, sometimes in a cup.
Looking closer, it gets complicated, fast. Those green beans went up in price, from $740 to $1219. Our supplier of these fairly traded, organic beans, JustUs, takes as small a bite out of the costs as they can in order to pay the producer co-ops and as much money as possible is going to the farmers who produce that coffee. This is the main reason for our price hike, and we value and respect the work of the producers and their struggles with rising costs.
We have a lot of suppliers who also have higher costs: Ketchup with That Kitchen and Wood Chef Bakery. These are local family businesses. Mary, Ross, Hayk, and Anna all live here.
We have a team at the cafe who we pay fairly to serve you all when we are busy building sheds, roasting coffee and racing around delivering coffee beans. London, Jan, Alana, Lauren and Faro all live here. There is no AI serving your coffee at café Tintamarre. We distribute the work according to peoples' schedules and preferences (Alice does- it's a real quantum problem every month) These folks are the backbone of our business, and we love that they love to come to work and bring so much to peoples' days, with their unique and fabulous styles. We have a personal relationship with each one of these wonderful beings.
In order to meet demand, we had to upscale our production model: a bigger was roaster was needed to replace the 2kg model (produces 3 bags per 20 minute roast cycle, yeah, that's small) We figured that increased efficiency would reduce the time spent roasting ad we could pass that savings on. We found one nearby at an excellent price but it was too big to fit in our house. We built a shed, from local sources (payzant, goguen lumber and others.) Actually, local builders did this: Dave, Ben, Bucky, Steve and Luke. They all live here and their kids go to school here and they shop at Payzant and the Independent. We gladly paid for the excellent work they did. It was an investment we made in our business, our community.
We shop locally as much as possible. The Independent gives us a small discount on certain items we use. I speak with their cashiers every single time I go in- these are community members who work hard, on their feet all day long, and with a smile. Our shed was built with lots of materials from Payzant.
We are all feeling the pinch. I hate sending money to oligarchs when I can pay a neighbour. I never see oligarchs at ducky's or Fener's. I always prefer to run an errand locally on my scooter versus driving to Moncton.
That being said, money you spend at Café Tintamarre stays here in Tantramarre. You are not just paying me and Alice, you are Paying Mary, Ross, Hayk, Anna, London, Jan, Lauren, Faro, Alana, Dave, Ben, Bucky, Steve, Woody, Elita, The teams at Payzant, The Independent and so on.
What do you get for your buck, besides a great fresh bag or cup of coffee?
You get music from Steve, Woody, Jan, Art from London, your kids play with Dave, Ben and Bucky's kids, You get to run into these folks at the grocery store, the hardware store, the post office and the park. They study at the University. They work on your house, trade plants with you, fix your car and connect you. They'll ask you about your family, your friends and they'll support you on your journey. They stay here because they can afford to live here. They don't move and take their skills, music, art, friendship, craftiness, family, hearts and voices with them because we pay them and value their work. I have a lot of grattitude for the folks in this town that we support and who support us.
That's what I love about this place. So grab a bag of our expensive (but local - hell, it's from my backyard- practically yours) coffee, or one from another local roaster (Sunnybrae -Moncton- Clement Dugas, Down East- St Andre, Terry Montigue, Have Fun Coffee- Halifax) at your favourite local spot- Ducks arent Real, Cranewod,The Roost or Aidas, and say hi to the neighbour you're supporting. Let's celebrate this great place.
