Nova Scotia coffee roasters: Laughing Whale and Just Us! on our shelves

Two Nova Scotia coffee roasters fill our coffee shelf: Laughing Whale in Lunenburg and Just Us! in Grand Pré. Both roast fair trade, organic coffees in small batches, and between them there's a bag for every kind of cup, from a bright medium to a smoky dark and a proper decaf.

Local roaster, global beans

"Local coffee" means local roasting. Coffee trees don't grow in Nova Scotia, so the beans come from small producers in places like Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Indonesia. What happens here is the roast, the blending and the choices about who to buy from, and that's where these two roasters stand out.

Both buy only certified fair trade and organic beans, both work with farmer-run co-operatives, and both have been at it for more than 20 years. Each is about an hour's drive from Halifax. The province has other good roasters too, from Java Blend in Halifax to Anchored Coffee in Dartmouth. Laughing Whale and Just Us! are the two we carry in bags at both stores.

The two roasters at a glance

Laughing Whale Coffee Roasters, Lunenburg

Laughing Whale Coffee Roasters has been roasting in the UNESCO heritage town of Lunenburg since 2003. The team behind it came from careers in social justice, international development and environmental work, and it shows: the goal is to be the greenest coffee roaster in Atlantic Canada, with a modern roaster, organic principles and a focus on cutting carbon. It's a small-batch local roaster rooted in a town of shipbuilders, artists, fisherfolk and tradespeople, and we're proud to pour its coffee.

Every bean Laughing Whale buys is certified fair trade and organic, and the coffee is certified each year by Ecocert Canada and Fairtrade Canada. Most of it comes through Cooperative Coffees, a green coffee importer owned by community roasters in Canada and the US, which buys directly from farmer co-ops in 13 countries. Laughing Whale became a full member, and so one of its owners, in 2019. The farms are small, most under five acres, and the co-ops are run by the farmers themselves.

All of the Laughing Whale coffees on our shelf are 100% Arabica. Here's how the roasts line up.

Just Us! Coffee Roasters, Grand Pré

Just Us! started with a question: could a coffee company do justice to the coffee, the farmers and the planet? In 1996, Jeff Moore, Deb and their partners answered it by setting up a coffee roasting co-operative in New Minas. It became Canada's first fair trade organic coffee roaster, and it's still a worker-owned co-op: eligible employees can become member-owners and help run the business. Today the roastery and head office are in Grand Pré, and there are three places to buy their coffee in the Wolfville area, including the Wolfville Farmers' Market.

The purpose from the start was justice from seed to cup, and a fairer way of doing business. It's a model shared by many of the coffee-growing co-ops it works with around the world. In 2011, Just Us! became the first organic coffee roaster to join the Small Producers Symbol (SPP), a fair trade system owned and led by small-scale producers themselves. Its partnership with Guatemala's CCDA co-operative began in 2002 with 6,000 pounds of coffee and doubled the following year. Alongside coffee, Just Us! sells fair trade organic teas, chocolate and sugar.

The Colombian comes from the ANEI co-operative in Colombia's Sierra Nevada, roasted with a longer sugar-browning stage to bring out its sweetness. French uses beans from the Pangoa co-operative in Peru. For the darkest cup, Italian is the smokiest roast Just Us! makes, and Breaking the Silence is a sweet dark roast taken gently to second crack.

Wild Brew is the one with a local cause behind it. It's a rich Indonesian blend with a fruit-like note and an earthy finish, and part of every bag goes to the Ecology Action Centre, the environmental group that's been working for Nova Scotia's communities and wild spaces since 1971.

Just Us!Wild Brew, whole beanAn organic, fair trade Indonesian blend that supports the Ecology Action Centre. Also sold ground.Shop →

Local coffee is a local roast: the beans travel, the care happens here.

Decaf from both roasters

How to choose a bag

1. Pick a roast level. Medium keeps more sweetness and brightness. Dark and very dark bring roasty, cocoa and smoky flavours. Darker doesn't mean more caffeine; how much coffee you use matters more.
2. Read the tasting notes. "Berry" or "chocolate" describes how the coffee tastes, not anything added. These are unflavoured coffees.
3. Match the grind to your brewer. Coarse for a French press, medium for drip and pour-over, fine for espresso. Buy whole bean if you have a grinder.
4. Buy what you'll finish. Open coffee is best within a few weeks, so a 340 g bag at a time keeps every cup fresh.

For a quick cup at work or at the cottage, Just Us! Instant Coffee is organic, freeze-dried 100% Colombian coffee. Use one to two teaspoons in a cup of boiling water and stir.

Just Us!Organic Fairtrade Instant Coffee, 100 gFreeze-dried 100% Colombian coffee. One to two teaspoons per cup.Shop →

A simple French press brew

A scale and a timer make a good cup easy to repeat. This makes two small cups: 30 g of coarsely ground coffee and 450 g of water just off the boil, around 93°C.

1. Add and start. Put the coffee in the press, pour in the water and start a timer.
2. Stir at one minute. Gently break the crust of grounds floating on top.
3. Steep to four minutes. Put the lid on with the plunger up and wait.
4. Press and pour it all. Press gently and pour everything into cups or a jug, so it doesn't keep brewing on the grounds.

Questions we get a lot

Where is Just Us! coffee from?

Just Us! is a Maritimes-based co-op, owned by its workers and roasting in Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, near Wolfville. The beans come from small producer co-operatives in countries like Colombia, Peru, Guatemala and Honduras.

Where can I buy Just Us! coffee?

At both Luminate Co stores and online. We carry Colombian, Tierra Madre, Rise Again, Breaking the Silence, French, Italian, Wild Brew, French Decaf and the instant coffee, most in whole bean and ground.

Is Just Us! coffee good?

It's a long-time favourite with our customers, especially the darker roasts like French and Italian. Taste is personal, so start with the roast level you already enjoy and try one bag at a time.

What are some popular coffee brands from Nova Scotia?

Laughing Whale in Lunenburg and Just Us! in Grand Pré are the two Nova Scotia coffee roasters on our shelves. Halifax and Dartmouth have their own roasters and cafés too, like Java Blend and Anchored Coffee.

Is Laughing Whale coffee fair trade?

Yes. Laughing Whale Coffee Roasters buys only certified fair trade and organic beans, and the Lunenburg roastery is certified each year by Fairtrade Canada and Ecocert Canada. If ethical sourcing is what you're after, look for those certification marks on any bag.

What is the 15-15-15 coffee rule?

It's a rule of thumb for freshness: green coffee keeps for about 15 months, roasted beans taste best within about 15 days, and ground coffee within about 15 minutes. It's a reason to buy smaller bags and grind just before you brew.

Laughing Whale and Just Us! are in the coffee aisle at both stores: 486 Starboard Drive in Bedford and 590 Portland Street in Dartmouth, open seven days. Browse more from the region in Atlantic Canadian made, meet the people behind it on our local makers page, or pair your coffee with Nova Scotia honey and maple syrup, a barista oat milk or a square of fair trade chocolate. For more from local makers, see our Nova Scotia local food guide, and if you take your coffee with MCT oil or ghee, our MCT oil and ghee guide explains both. In HRM, order by 11 am with Luminate Express for same-day delivery, or choose pickup. Anywhere else in Canada, orders over $80 ship free.

Sources: Laughing Whale, About the Whale; Laughing Whale, Fairtrade Organic; Laughing Whale, Sourcing Coffee; Just Us!, Our Co-op; Just Us!, Our Coffee; product labels.