Good Earth Coffeehouse

Our Story

The first Good Earth Coffeehouse opened in Calgary on a hot summer day in 1991. Our Founders, Nan Eskenazi and Michael Going, began with a desire to serve exceptional coffee and wholesome food, with a down-to-earth attitude. Nan hailed from the Pacific Northwest – a coffee mecca of sorts – thus she was in charge of creating the coffee part of Good Earth. Michael grew up on ranches in Southern Alberta and so he had a taste for real, good food and had the recipes too! Between the two of them they got Good Earth off to a good start. Since then many other folks have become a part of Good Earth. And they all brought great ideas, experiences, and recipes with them.

Now there are over forty cafes. They are warm and inviting places where people like to meet… for coffee, breakfast, lunch, a treat, a business meeting, dinner, a book club, a date, a break, a support group, a political uprising, or any other reason people like to get together! Many of our cafes feature communal seating, some furniture made from reclaimed wood (that means it was part of an old building and now has a new life in Good Earth), local art and sometimes live music.

You will find Good Earth in Calgary, Canmore, Cochrane, Banff, Airdrie, Red Deer, Edmonton, and Lethbridge, AB; Vancouver and Victoria, BC; Regina and Saskatoon, SK; Winnipeg, MB; Toronto and Ottawa, ON; and Montreal, QC. We hope there’s one near you. If not, we’re expanding throughout Canada. Check out our franchising page to see where we are growing.

While our local company has grown, we have stayed true to our original mission… to be a coffeehouse with good food.