INVITO Coffee was founded by Yaro and Heather, who felt a strong pull to share the coffee from their family’s coffee plantation in Costa Rica with those in B.C. After researching coffee packaging and seeing the plastic waste it creates, their vision for INVITO quickly ignited into something much more, making it the ethical business it is today. They are one of Vancouver’s – and possibly Canada’s – first and leading plastic-free and zero-waste coffee companies.
Their family-owned plantation, located in the heart of the Monteverde coffee region (west valley), is a beautiful 42-hectare farm, allowing them to focus on sustainable farming practices to produce some of the best specialty coffee in the Vancouver area.
Their coffee is washed using the water from 2 large rivers already running through the property so that less energy is used in the process.
Question: How are you supporting other local businesses?
Answer: We are Vancouver’s 1st zero-waste coffee company and have a vertically integrated supply chain. We grow the coffee on our farm in Costa Rica, import it ourselves, roast locally, and all our packaging is 100% compostable. With this approach, we can positively impact everyone that meets our business. In Vancouver, we have been able to collaborate with many local businesses, who can benefit from our single-origin and fully traceable coffee. Kind Cafe is Vancouver’s 1st zero-waste cafe, and we deliver all our coffee to them in re-usable buckets, resulting in zero waste. We have helped The Brownie Bakers get their trailer up and running, and now they serve our coffee alongside their amazing brownies. We have collaborated with Callister Brewing, and them using our cold brew to create their signature Porter this winter season. We imported Costa Rican cocoa for Turner’s Chocolate, giving them access to direct trade cocoa at a competitive price, and in turn, supporting the farmers in Costa Rica. We rent equipment to roast our coffee from Origins Coffee Roasters. BSIbio is one of our suppliers where we get items like cups/napkins for our espresso bar at farmers markets. We have done numerous other small collaborations with local businesses that we met at the farmers’ markets, and throughout our whole approach, we try and cross-promote as many other local businesses as we can. Working together has been our biggest strength in surviving this pandemic as a small business.
Question: What social and environmental practices are you proud of?
Answer: Our mission with Invito was to create a positive and sustainable coffee economy. With local support, we can pay above Fairtrade wages to our workers in Costa Rica, ensure their children have the opportunity to go to school. Locally we employ professionals in helping us run our business, from social media to sales, and in 2022 as we expand, we’ll be growing the team even further. Customers get to vote every day with their dollar for the world they want to see, and which companies they want to support. So, we are truly thankful for all our customers who keep supporting us and our initiatives.
Our biggest contribution has been to our local environment. Being a zero-waste coffee company, our mission is to reduce the plastic pollution of single-use coffee bags. To date, we have diverted 500 pounds of plastic waste from our oceans and landfills and try to encourage small changes in people’s lives that can lead to a positive environmental impact. In 2021 we introduced a zero-waste Loop Refill Program, where coffee is delivered in mason jars, eliminating packaging waste. In just 1 year, we have re-used over 1000 jars, eliminating 50 pounds of single-use plastic. With Vancouver’s new single-use plastic bylaw in 2022, customers are paying greater attention to how businesses evolve and how they align with the beliefs of their patrons. By choosing to partner with Invito, you are aligning your businesses with that philosophy, and through our media campaigns, are gaining exposure to our network of sustainably conscious consumers. In 2022, we hope to partner with more local brands and businesses who are passionate about the environment, support Fairtrade products, and want to future-proof their business.
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