Westdale Bumblebean

When you enter Global Village Market café in the renowned West Hamilton community of Westdale, it won’t take you long to be impressed by its dedication to great taste, environmental sustainability and fair trade business standards.

It all starts with the brand of coffee that owner Peter Anderson chooses to sell: Birds & Beans, a company based in Etobicoke, Ont. “It’s just the best coffee around,” Peter says. “I’ve tried all the Hamilton brands and I like them a lot, but this one is heads and shoulders above them, not just because of the taste, which does matter, but because the amount of effort the owners put into making sure that the fair trade seals are there, that they have the bird-friendly seals because that protects migratory birds, and that they have the rainforest seal.”

The main products at Global Village Market are whole bean coffee and tea — both loose leaf and by the bag — and they’re all fair trade, organic products. “If they’re not fair trade, they’re local. So that makes them, in essence, fair trade,” explains Peter.

One of those local products includes the tea. “Our tea is by The Monarch Tea Company, a great company started by a lady named Katie Cyr," says Peter. "She’s very small, very local. She’s only in a few places in Hamilton.”

The café also offers fresh baked goods made by local bakers and by Sweets from the Earth, a North York company whose products are all natural, organic, vegan and certified kosher. There's also ice cream from nearby Hewitt’s Dairy. Plus, on Fridays you can get fresh samosas, made by the Himalaya Restaurant in East Hamilton.