Canterbury Grinds to a Halt – But Something Fresh is Brewing.
Ken Waithman, General Manager, trades commodities for retirement.
Richmond, BC – After 32 years in Richmond, BC, Canterbury Coffee moves across the river to Burnaby and into a custom-built, 114,000 square foot facility. The impressive building features a dedicated beverage training facility allowing the Canterbury team to provide expertise and training to new and existing customers. In addition, the southern exposure, floor to ceiling windows, and thermal-insulated exterior panels reduce energy and decrease Canterbury’s carbon footprint.
In 1981, Canterbury began knocking on doors, selling ground coffee to offices, businesses, and anyone who needed coffee. Pioneers of fair trade, organic, and single-origin coffees, Canterbury is truly a Canadian success story. Through acquisition and organic growth, Canterbury has grown to become Western Canada’s largest specialty coffee roaster. With coffee expertise, retail presence, foodservice knowledge, and now into sustainable single-serve, Canterbury is trending forward. “We are excited about the future, sharing innovative ideas, and demonstrating why we are forerunners in the coffee industry,” says Eric Lightheart, Sr. Vice President of Sales and Operations.
Meanwhile, Canterbury also stops to bid farewell to long-time General Manager Ken Waithman, who retires after 31 years in the coffee industry. From Dickson’s to Kraft and then to Canterbury, Ken knows just about everyone in the industry. His insight, understanding, and colourful humour will be missed. That being said, he’ll still be drinking coffee – but in cafes in Europe, or wherever the winds take him. A well-deserved retirement, Ken!
About Canterbury Coffee
Canterbury Coffee is a Canadian owned company with its roasting facility and corporate headquarters located in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1981, the company employs over 140 people and is recognized as the largest specialty coffee roaster in Western Canada. The company’s core business is the roasting, packaging and sale of specialty grade coffee and related beverage products to the foodservice, retail grocery and coffee house segments of the marketplace through a network of Canterbury operated sales and distribution branches and a number of authorized distributors across Canada. www.canterburycoffee.com
