Cafes
Merchants of Green Coffee
Merchants of Green knows coffee. That fact was made abundantly clear to me half an hour after meeting Merchants' Morgan Yew, as our conversation evolved from Ethiopian coffee rituals to sustainable farming and production.
"There's a disconnect somewhere," he says as we shift to the topic of mainstream coffee consumption. "Many of us drink this every day, without thinking of the conditions in which the beans were grown. Or where they were grown. Or how they got here."
Yew, however, knows exactly how every bean at the Merchants of Green arrived at its space on Matilda Street, and how to prepare it to best experience its taste.
"It all depends on your preference, of course," he says. "Right now, everyone's doing the espresso coffees, where you're pressing oils that really coat the mouth. But I think you can't beat the Ethiopian coffee ceremony."
Customers can experience that ceremony by booking an appointment, or learning more about their beans by signing up for a demo or coffee school. It all happens at this former tannery, now a gathering space for those who share the Merchants' mantra of "Fresh Coffee, Fair Trade, Green Business."
The business was started in 1994 by five friends looking to source and sell green, fair trade coffees. The original model didn't include an espresso bar or café, but Merchants has since evolved to what it is today, hosting readings, live music, special events, and regulars making use of the free WiFi daily.
"It's not just the coffee," Yew tells me as we sip cappuccinos ($3.50). "The business itself is green. The espresso bar was built right here using recycled materials. Much of the furniture is used."
The lumpy beige sofa (where café cat Luna is snoozing) just adds to the charm, though, in my opinion. The floors at Merchants sigh that fabulous creak with every stride, and the water cooler by the bar is labeled matter-of-factly with "Toronto Tap Water." The stacks and shelves of books around the space, however, are what really seduce my esteem, a collection made from both staff and customers' personal libraries.
Merchants of Green is involved in a variety of new initiatives, including partnering with ING to help with its new downtown cafe, expanding its outdoor space and creating safe storage for bicycles, as well as continuing its collaboration with Evergreen Brick Works. Of course, if you just want an Americano ($3) or a light bite from OMG bakery, they can get you that too.
Merchants of Green is open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Photos by Dennis Marciniak
Discussion
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Now then, do you happen to have anything to tell us about the Merchants of Green? That's actually what we're commenting on here.
Cheers,
Binkie
For those who've been customers for years, it's obvious the business has changed immensely. Reviews in a perfect world would be updated regularly.
We have baked goods, a range of green beans from around the world, and staff committed to the educational component of MGCs mission.
I hope to see future readers, and once-perturbed customers, one of these days. Say hi if you do!
Morgan.
What about the "crap" ethiopian coffee did you not enjoy? Maybe that bean wasnt for you. Maybe the way you made your coffee at home was not the exact way to make coffee? There are some better ways then others.
Hope that you will take a chance to learn how to make a good cup and maybe try to learn about different types of beans.
As for the green coffee beans, Greenbeanery (whose staff isn't much better) has far better selection and cheaper price and the pricing depends on which beans you are buying.
I wish Merchants could get their act together with the staff, expand their selection and work on their pricing as I feel that the owner really has his heart in the business.
On the barista's suggestion, I got a steeped and strained coffee - I don't know the bean particulars. It was easily the highlight of my passport tour; excellently balanced flavour that stayed with me for ages after I'd finished it. Made me very happy.
It's a pity they're so far from me, I'd be a regular for sure.
It's off the beaten track, therefore it has never been crowded, no one was breathing down my neck to leave so that they could sit down.
I've found the staff to be friendly and helpful.
And the coffee can't be beat!
Thank you
My Reply:
Yes, I realize that you may have better stuff there...and lot's of it...but you sold me crap, and you did it with a smile on. Then you have the gall to say things like "Glad you aren't coming back," (that makes two of us) and "Maybe the way you made your coffee at home was not the exact way to make coffee?" Hah! (Have you ever thought that you may not know how to buy it and/or roast it?) So that's the way you treat customers, right? No apology whatsoever. And who am I to expect one? A paying customer dumbasses--and one who knows enough about coffee, customer service, and "win-win or no deal" to never give you another dime! :P
I hear you. That's a customer service thing, no? Please take this note as a sign that someone does in fact care about culpability and public perception. I do everything I can with limited time and resources to communicate culture and coffee and make "win-win" situations happen on a daily basis. It's not a liveable goal to communicate or sell falsely. So if you can, accept my apology for whatever happened to you before I got involved in the business. Your comment is noted. Time to move on?
My reply:
1) As a paying customer (albeit a former one in your case), I reserve the right to "puff up my chest" and/or do whatever the hell else I want. Live with it, or get the hell out of customer service. That said, I don't think my honest comments fit the "chest-puffing" category, however much they may have bruised someone's ego. You haven't seen me contradicting the positive reviews here, have you? I wasn't there, so why would I? (For all I know, they might all be friends of yours--but I don't accuse people of stuff without proof.)
2) As for moving on, I did that a long time ago. I was merely checking back to see if your reviews had gotten better or worse, and whether or not anyone from your end had bothered to reply. They had, and they were both rude and patronizing, which made me feel compelled to respond. I criticized the CRAPPY COFFEE you sold me, which I realize now I should've returned to you and made your entire staff drink instead of just tossing it in the bin, but I did not criticize your staff. Your people were the ones who decided to get personal. The service was fine, but the "coffee" sold to me was undrinkable--and I'll go for Tim Horton's or MacDonald's in a pinch, so I'm not just saying that. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make sure that nothing so crappy ever gets sold by your business again--not even by accident.
3) A weak and qualified apology is better than no apology at all, and it's the first one I've had from anyone at your end, so I will accept it. And I sincerely hope you 1) stop blaming customers for your screw-ups, 2) work diligently to prevent future screw-ups, and 3) use "whatever happened to me" as a way to improve you business. After all, taking care of customers is the only way to "Live long and prosper," which I hope you do.
Like I said, can't sing the praises of the atmosphere MoG fosters enough!