Canada’s Coffee Capital: Which city leads the way for caffeine lovers?

Canada’s love for coffee is undeniable, with Canadians expected to generate an impressive $21.01 billion in revenue for the coffee market in 2024 solely from trips to local coffee shops, restaurants and bars.

In volume, that’s equivalent to around 58.33 million kilograms of on-the-go coffee consumption in a year.

And if you add at-home consumption, this figure more than triples to 219 million kilograms expected to be consumed in 2024 - with this volume expected to increase further in 2025 by 0.1%.

There’s a wide range of coffee shops in Canada that take advantage of this demand, with a Canadian-owned coffee chain that's an internationally famous brand in its own right, Tim Hortons, having around 4,000 stores nationally - and 5,500 across the world.

Aside from the popular nationwide coffee chains, each region is also home to local roasters that focus on sustainable sourcing and artisanal brewing, contributing to the growing appreciation for quality coffee in smaller towns.

But which Canadian city or town is the best for catering to local coffee lovers?

In celebration of National Coffee Day on September 29th, Jackpot City has crunched the numbers to reveal which city is Canada's coffee capital.

Experts at the online casino looked at the number of coffee shops and cafes in each Canadian city and compared this to the local population, to also find where locals have the best chance of securing their daily caffeine fix.

The best Canadian cities for coffee lovers in 2024

Canmore in Alberta has emerged as Canada’s coffee capital in 2024, catering to local coffee lovers better than any other city, with 9.5 coffee shops per 10,000 residents.

While Canmore doesn’t have any specific history relating to coffee, its growth as a coffee capital has likely emerged from the rise in tourism and picturesque proximity to the Canadian Rockies, which has brought the town some great cozy coffee shops.

Nelson in British Columbia follows closely behind in second place, with 9 coffee shops per 10,000 of its population.

Despite having the same number of coffee shops as Nelson, Cobourg in Ontario rounds out the top three due to its slightly larger population, resulting in 8.6 coffee shops for each 10,000 residents.

Coming in fourth is Squamish in British Columbia. Already a sought-after destination for trails and outdoor activities, the city is also a safe haven for coffee lovers, with 7.9 coffee shops per 10,000.

Known as the Sunshine Capital of Canada, Orillia in Ontario takes another title as Canada’s fifth best Coffee Capital, catering for local caffeine cravers with 7.7 coffee shops per 10,000 population. Orillia also shares the same birth year as Canada itself, incorporated as a village in the same year Canada became a nation under the British North America Act in 1867.

Another city catering well to local coffee lovers with 7.3 coffee shops per 10,000 residents is Sainte-Marie in Quebec, which comes in sixth place overall.

Already a hub for major movies and TV series like CBCs Heartland thanks to its scenic location, High River in Alberta is also a hot-spot for coffee lovers, with 7.2 coffee shops per 10,000 population.

Salmon Arm in British Columbia, Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, and Collingwood in Ontario round out the top 10 due to their higher volume of coffee shops per 10,000 of the population.

While Cape Breton has over four times the number of coffee shops as Canmore, which ranks first as the coffee capital, it also houses over six times the population, giving less choice to its population of coffee drinkers.

The worst Canadian cities for coffee lovers in 2024

With the largest population of any Canadian city nearing 7 million, Toronto’s coffee shops are spread thin for locals, ranking it as the worst city to get a coffee in 2024 with only 0.2 coffee shops available per 10,000 of the population.

Another of Canada’s largest cities, Montréal in Quebec ranks as the second worst place to get a coffee for locals, with just 0.6 coffee shops per 10,000 population.

While Montréal actually has the second largest number of coffee shops out of any other city behind Vancouver, it also has the second largest population, reducing the likelihood of a quick brew for locals.

Residents are third worst off for a fresh cup of coffee in St. John's, on the border of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Despite being home to the same number of coffee shops as Canmore in Alberta, which tops the list as Canada’s coffee capital, the population of St. John’s is 13 times larger resulting in only 0.7 coffee shops per 10,000 of its population.

While it has the most number of coffee shops nationwide, Vancouver also has the third largest population, pulling it to the bottom of the rankings with only 0.9 coffee shops per 10,000 population.

The fifth worst city for a coffee fix is Edmonton in Alberta, with only one coffee shop to cater for 10,000 of the population.

The closely neighboring cities of Ottawa and Gatineau collectively home just 1.2 coffee shops per 10,000 of their combined population. Despite Ottawa being the capital city of Canada, the city seems to fall short on the country's love for coffee.

Wood Buffalo, Wrinkle, Calgary and ST. Catherines make up the top ten worst cities to grab a coffee in Canada - each home to either 1.3 or 1.4 coffee shops per 10,000 residents.

It seems as though Canada’s coffee lovers are worse off in big cities if they have a die-hard obsession with a coffee-to-go, as there’s a much lower chance of finding a local roaster to make one for you among a larger population.

On the other hand, most cities ranking in the top ten as a coffee capital have a population below 40,000, allowing its individual coffee shops to cater for a larger percentage of the population - with the exception of Cape Breton, which houses just over 100,000 residents yet still ranks on top in ninth place.

So, if you’re not ready to be a country bumpkin in a small town for your love of coffee just yet, you can relocate to the reasonably sized city of Cape Breton, for a better chance of a pumpkin spice latte to-go instead.

Hidden Gem Coffee Hotspots

We may have revealed the cities with the most amount of coffee shops per capita, but where is home to the best coffee shops in Canada? As part of our research, we also set out to find out the hidden gem coffee shops that you might not have heard of, but everyone is raving about.

Jackpot City looked at each coffee shop, barista or cafe in cities in Canada with a population of over 20,000, before looking at the average rating of each. It then took those with the highest average rating, but lowest number of reviews, to reveal the hidden gem coffee hotspots in Canada.

Squamish, in British Columbia, came first, with the Wild Wolf Espresso coffee shop having top marks of five stars, despite only a few people discovering the gem. Others include Le Comptoir Cafe in Montreal, Coffea Cafe in Calgary, and First Cafe in Edmonton, all with top marks.

Jackpot City also set out to find the hidden gems in Canada’s larger cities. Honest to Pete Coffee in Vancouver is the best hidden ge, with a rating of 5 and just 124 reviews in one of the most populated cities in the world, while Propeller Coffee came first in Toronto, with only 22 people rating the shop on Google.

Whether you're savoring a perfect cup of coffee or enjoying the thrill of online gaming, Jackpot City Casino offers a rewarding experience to fuel your passion. Play responsibly and discover your next win.

ENDS

Methodology

Jackpot City analyzed data from Google to find the number of coffee shops and cafes in each Canadian city, and compared this to the local population of each city using data from Statistics Canada, to find the average number of coffee shops per 10,000 of the population.

The city with the highest number of coffee shops per 10,000 of the population was revealed as Canada’s coffee capital, where locals have the highest chance of finding a coffee shop to get their caffeine fix, and vice versa.

Data correct as of September 2024.