Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/70344
MB BIZ PROVING GROUNDS CHARITIES ENJOY PERKS OF UPSTART COFFEE HOUSE'S SUCCESS by David Schmeichel Winkler, pride themselves on taking coffee to an entirely new level, serving up a game-changing product and a side of spiritual uplift in every single cup. M 16 MBiz June 2012 Since opening in March 2010, the business — helmed by co-owners Jon Plett, Andy Wiebe, and Jeff Hoeppner — has challenged city residents to step up their coffee game by introducing them to celebrated blends representing regions around the world, and inspiring them to explore the twin terrains of ethical consumption and global responsibility. "A big part of what makes a good a cup is the ethics behind the cup," says Plett, 27, a former punk-pop ost of us are content to take our coffee with a little cream or sugar. But the crew at Jonny's Java, a socially- conscious coffeehouse and café in drummer whose humanitarian streak can be traced to his missionary parents and a childhood spent in poverty-stricken regions of Mexico. But it was more than simple altruism that prompted Plett to get into the bean-biz. He first launched Jonny's Java on a much smaller-scale, starting off as an independent importer and wholesaler in 2004. Wiebe and Hoeppner were brought on while Plett was living in L.A., and later touring with his band, and a few years back, the trio opened their first coffee counter in Winkler's Southland Mall. "More than anything, it was dissatisfaction. My friends and I would often talk about how we'd love to go for coffee, but everything here was just not palatable to me," says Plett, who — as might be expected — takes his coffee pretty seriously. PEMBINA VALLEY