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In August of 2014, founder-worker Jessica McCarrel took a 25 square-foot storage closet and transformed it into a bespoke coffee nook. The original Kaffeeklatsch—nestled within CommunityWise, a non-profit social service building on 12 Ave SW—served extraordinary coffee in this unusual, unexpected space for two years.

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Because of its small size, Kaffeeklatsch has always doubled as a mobile cafe. Jessica built an espresso cart to travel across Calgary and serve notable coffee in unique and surprising spaces, fostering social connections. With each new setting, we temporarily install the cafe using the existing conditions of the space. This tiny coffee shop, lodged into a small, often awkward location, invites interest as much as the aroma of coffee does. The unexpected nature of the cafe itself sparks conversation and connection.

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Furthering both the mobile and unpredictable nature of Kaffeeklatsch’s pop-ups, Jessica created a cold brew coffee trike in June 2015. This amazing cycle has appeared throughout downtown Calgary, serving exquisite cold brew coffee in the heat of summer.

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In August 2018, Kaffeeklatsch was approached by the management of the Cambrian Centre and asked to provide the building’s tenants with coffee and food. The building’s strange street location and the challenging layout of its lobby made sense for us—it was another interesting, unusual space to install a cafe.

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We began serving tenants with our mobile coffee cart while the Centre built out the dedicated cafe space. By mid-December, the space was complete, and Kaffeeklatsch now serves coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and soups in this permanent location.

This Centre is home to EFW Radiology, the Regional Fertility Program, and CBC/Radio-Canada—all of whom we serve weekdays from 8 am to 3 pm. Finding amazing coffee and food in a health complex is rare; we are delighted to share this experience with the engaging tenants and clients of the Cambrian Wellness Centre.

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In the summer of 2020, we found the perfect additional home for a Kaffeeklatsch that is neither cart nor stall, but a full cafe space—located just a few blocks from where we started, at 1205 1st SW. Located in the Beltline's Victoria Park, a neighbourhood rich with Calgary's cultural and nightlife history, the storefront quickly became a bub for community, art and shared experiences.​

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Over two years, we curated art exhibitions, hosted events, and created a space for joy and connection—even amisdst the challenges of a pandemic. The support we received was incredible.​Ultimately however, we were outbid on our lease and unable to stay—despite September being our most successful month to date.​

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But we’re not done.

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Kaffeeklatsch continues to operate at the Cambrian Centre, where we serve tenants and staff of the medical complex each weekday. We also continue to host pop-ups across the city, bringing specialty coffee and connection to Calgary’s vibrant community spaces, festivals, and creative gatherings.

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