Second Cup Coffee Co.™ Introduces Innovative Café of the Future

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Dec. 4, 2014 /CNW/ - On Friday, December 5, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. Second Cup Coffee Co.™ will officially unveil its café of the future at the corner of King and John Streets in Toronto featuring its new branding.  The updated brand -- Second Cup Coffee Co.™ -- reflects a new independent spirit, a commitment to the world's finest coffee, and the company's vision to be the coffee brand most passionately committed to quality and innovation. The new inviting design revolves around the company's brand pillars of superior quality, optimism, collaboration, creativity and community, and focuses on the individual customer experience. The new café is an important component in the company's transformation and a first step in its three-year strategic plan, and showcases the company's obsession with bringing the ultimate coffee experience to Canadians.

A New Coffee-centric Experience
Located at 289 King Street West, the new café features a fresh new design that is bright, warm and welcoming.  The youthful look and feel exudes comfort through a neutral palette featuring natural materials, and channels the spirit of optimism with fun bursts of brilliant colour. Designed for those who love coffee, Second Cup Coffee Co. sets a new standard for the world's ultimate coffee experience, by offering a unique and engaging "coffee-centric" approach. It is a place where customers will want to spend time, and complements the culture of the neighbourhood.  Features include:

• Slow Bar, where Second Cup Coffee Co. blends art and science for the ultimate cup of coffee. Customers can interact with baristas at the Slow Bar and hone their coffee tasting skills with estate coffee made from two revolutionary brewing technologies:
  • Steampunk, a ground-breaking coffee and tea brewing system, is true theatre in motion. Artful craftsmanship meets innovative engineering and delivers unprecedented extraction, temperature control and thermal stability for a great coffee that can be precisely tailored to specific tastes. This high-end machine is the hottest new advancement in coffee excellence, currently being introduced in the finest cafés around the world.
  • Pour-Over produces a noticeably more delicate and complex brew than conventional drip machines. This handcrafted, customized technique is popular with coffee connoisseurs. 
• Expanded portfolio of the world's finest coffees including Ethiopia YirgZ and Finca La Soledad from Guatemala.
• New, delicious baked goods hand-crafted in local bakeries. The focus will be on classic tastes with contemporary twists.
• Healthy Granola and Hearty Oatmeal bar.
• Milk Bar where dairy options are "on tap" in a fun custom design.
• Multiple seating options to address needs of customers, whether they're looking for a private area to work, a table for visiting with friends, or a communal experience at the Slow Bar.
• Artistic and creative cups – Second Cup Coffee Co. collaborated with Canadian artists to design cups representing their interpretations of Second Cup Coffee Co.'s core values. The first series of three cups feature: "Optimism" by Matt Andres from British Columbia; "Creativity" by Adrian Forrow from Ontario; and "Collaboration" by Zela Lobb from Quebec.
• Community wall mural, created by local artists, that reflects and celebrates the neighbourhood.
• Built-into-the-counter, wireless charging pads for customers to quickly charge electronic devices while enjoying the café.
• A custom music program created specifically to reflect the new brand, featuring predominantly Canadian content including independent and up-and-coming talent.
• Outdoor café and entrance signage proudly recognizes Second Cup Coffee Co. operators.
• Passionate, knowledgeable staff deliver the highest quality food and beverage experience.
• Stylish, new employee dress code.

A Brand New Brand
Second Cup Coffee Co. is the ideal environment to launch the company's new branding. The new logo is designed to convey the re-energized premium status of the brand, and all touch points both inside and outside of the café have been modernized.

Bringing the Revolution to Life
"This is an exciting, new beginning for Second Cup Coffee Co.," says Alix Box, President and CEO, The Second Cup Ltd. "This café is an important step in our revolution and reflects our passion for coffee in creative and collaborative ways. For me, the Steampunk embodies our new essence because it is a high-end artful machine that is famous with coffee connoisseurs and trendsetters around the world. The Steampunk exudes theatre, art and creativity, while at its heart, it is about coffee excellence. So is Second Cup Coffee Co. This is a great space to ignite customers' passion for the ultimate coffee experience."

The King and John café is operated by Rudy Scholaert and Mimoza Feka, franchisees and brand ambassadors who co-own two other Second Cup locations. "We are excited about the future of Second Cup Coffee Co. and this beautiful café design," says Mr. Scholaert. "We were thrilled to be part of the team that brought the café of the future to life and look forward to sharing it with the community."

Made-in-Canada Design
Second Cup Coffee Co. worked with two highly celebrated Canadian design firms on its transformation: Jacknife Design was the partner for the brand design, and II BY IV DESIGN collaborated with the company to create the new café. The 850 square-foot space will be a coffee laboratory of sorts. The company will listen and learn from customers. The best features will be rolled out nationally starting in the spring, and once refined, the new design will be tailored for every new and renovated café. For more details on the café roll-out, watch the Second Cup Facebook page. 

"Canadians are passionate about coffee and we know they are rooting for Second Cup to make a dramatic comeback," adds Ms. Box. "We are creating a premium brand with an independent spirit.  Our goal is to be the best, not necessarily the biggest. That means focusing on quality, innovation and the individual experience, and this launch is a major step forward in our revolution. While our work is far from over, this café and new brand design are critical components to help re-establish our position of prominence, and we invite everyone to come experience the future at Second Cup Coffee Co." 

Enjoy Your First Cup on Second Cup Coffee Co. 
The ribbon cutting for Second Cup Coffee Co. will take place on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 11:30am at King and John Streets in Toronto. From noon until 8pm that day, the company invites the community to enjoy their first medium cup of coffee in this café for FREE with their choice of the exclusive La Minita Tarrazú or Holiday Blend.  

About Second Cup
Founded in 1975, The Second Cup Ltd. (TSX: SCU) is a Canadian specialty coffee retailer operating over 345 cafés across the country. All of the approximately 4,000 Second Cup baristas are trained coffee experts who handcraft over 1 million beverages every week, and are committed to ensuring excellence in every cup and the very best customer experience. For more information, please visit www.secondcup.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE The Second Cup Ltd.

Image with caption: "Second Cup Coffee Co.? officially unveils its café of the future at the corner of King and John Streets in Toronto. Exterior image. December 4, 2014 (CNW Group/The Second Cup Ltd.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141204_C6944_PHOTO_EN_8989.jpg

Image with caption: "The new inviting design revolves around the company's brand pillars of superior quality, optimism, collaboration, creativity and community, and focuses on the individual customer experience. Interior image. December 4, 2014 (CNW Group/The Second Cup Ltd.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141204_C6944_PHOTO_EN_8990.jpg