Hale Coffee, a large independent roastery and industrial-style coffee shop brand, has opened their newest location at the corner of Bloor and Church Streets.
Having recently opened their Midtown location in the Spring, Hale Coffee is slowly growing their presence in the city in an organic way that speaks to their authenticity as a company. Hale started back in 2013 in a small room in Chinatown, where owners Khaldoun Toukan and Ramzi Yanis, were roasting beans and spreading the good word about specialty coffee.
It took them around three years to hit capacity before moving to their sprawling OG space in the Junction Triangle, where they expanded their business into a wholesale model and built their first cafe.
From there, they entered the retail world and began opening their other locations. Currently, the team is running a hybrid operation between their brick and mortar coffee shops and wholesale distribution, and they will continue to expand organically when opportunities arise and the time feels right.
The new location along Church Street––which used to be a Starbucks––was taken over by Hale a few months ago, and they built it up themselves. Mimicking the industrial style of their other locations, this new spot emanates that same kind of vibe, but with a twist.
"We think the Bloor-Church area is super hip, and will love our specialty coffee," Yanis says. "We're approachable, accessible and we don't want to be pretentious. We want our space to be open and welcoming from the moment you walk in."
The team has once again paired with local designer Tim Jeffs and Concept Ink, to print yet another fabulous drawing on the walls of their space. Those who are familiar with Jeffs' "Big Blue" whale depiction at the Junction location will look forward to taking a selfie with his new colourful peacock design, printed directly on the wall and showcased in their new space on Bloor.
Their signature exposed shelving, funky furniture and industrial boxes on the ceiling are also present in the interior design of the cafe. Because they are still in the soft opening phase, there is currently no seating, but expect plenty of stools to soon be lining the windows, and in the warm season, a full-sized patio.
As their objective is to have Hale Coffee beans in everyone's kitchens, they are excited to be able to promote their retail bags of beans on the shelves to entice guests to not only pick up their morning coffee, but to grab a bag for later as well.
Their house-roasted Hale Espresso Beans are one of their top sellers because of the diversity of the beans; if you have a machine at home, you can tweak the calibration to achieve more chocolate-nutty, or fruity-floral flavours. The company also features a selection of whole-bean coffees from local farmers that go into rotation at all locations on a monthly basis.
If you're into straight up coffee, Yanis recommends a Short Americano, so you can really get the taste of the coffee without it being watered down. For milk-based beverages, he suggests ordering a classic Cappuccino or Cortado, because of how the coffee evenly cuts through the milk.
Once their new oven is installed, they will begin pumping out their freshly baked goods, including moist and fluffy muffins (like Chocolate Toffee or Apple Cinnamon), crunchy cookies and flakey croissants.
Further down the line, they hope to offer a few larger items on the menu that remain consistent with their approachability. Yanis is a big fan of their breakfast bagel sandwiches, and thinks guests will love the Maple Tofu Glaze bagel as an alternative.
"We want to cater to all people, whether you want a quick to grab and go, or you want to sit in the cafe for a meeting, we want to get to know our new community, and have something here for everyone."
The new Hale Coffee is located at 175 Bloor Street East, and though still in their soft opening phase, they are now welcoming guests into their brand new space for a delicious cup of joe. For more information regarding their new spot, follow them online, or on Instagram.
