The Coffice: a community for small businesses working out of coffee shops

Coffee shops with free wifi and startups go together like chocolate and peanut butter. After being laid off from his job in 2008 and going back to school for web development, Toronto entrepreneur Sam Title created a new online destination where business professionals who work out of coffee shops can connect online and share their experiences – it’s called The Coffice.

I spoke with Title, who aptly calls himself the “Chief Executive Cofficer” about his inspiration for The Coffice and asked which coffee shops in Toronto are the most “coffice-friendly?”

Where did you get the inspiration for The Coffice?

The inspiration for “The Coffice” community came as a result of an evening conversation (over coffee) with a friend about jobs, careers and businesses. He thought it would be a cool idea to write a book about how to work in a coffee shop. My friend’s zeal for this concept struck a chord and the idea was born that night. The name “Coffice” – the marriage of “coffee” and “office” – was an “ah ha” moment.

Over time the idea morphed into building a dedicated online network of business professionals who, like me, spend many hours working in coffee shops. The Coffice has been a work in progress for about 2 years – and thankfully it will continue to be a work in progress for a long time (that’s my hope). Rest assured, I’ll be working on it at The Coffice.

Why is “coffice” culture so interesting?

Technologies like laptops, smart phones, wifi (especially the free and unlimited kind) and apps that facilitate connecting online have made The Coffice that much more accessible. The role of technology has been a great unifier – but it’s also allowed us to work anywhere at almost any time.

What has been the feedback on your idea so far?

The Coffice is getting some overwhelmingly positive support! That’s extremely valuable to me. What’s a community without the support of its members?

I’ve been building The Coffice community on Facebook and Twitter from the very beginning. Because I have a professional public relations background, I was able to use some foundations from the profession to strategically build The Coffice community – I’m still using some of those elements, and they’ve been quite helpful in keeping me focused on what I have to do, how and when.

How do you plan to grow The Coffice?

In the short term I hope to build out the website by providing the tools to make The Coffice a place where people can network, assist each other, build their own businesses, promote their favourite Coffices, interact with one another – all parts of building an engaging community. For now, I’m working on spreading the word and building it out from there.

Besides Starbucks and Second Cup, what are some of Toronto’s top “coffice” locations?

According to Joel Solish, one of our city’s foodie bloggers, here is a list of some of the great spots in Toronto:

1. Ezra’s Pound

• Location: 238 Dupont St. at Spadina, and 913 Dundas St. W.
• Seating: Dupont has a great patio in the back, if you don’t mind the odd passing train about 10 metres away. Both locations have a decent amount of seating, but are often very busy. 
• Wifi: YES
• Coffee: Ezra personally sources and roasts all of the coffee, and rotates what offerings you will find for pulled shots and drip.
• Baristas: Ezra runs the The Espresso Institute of North America
• Notes: Some of the best croissants in the city, and really good scones 

2. Sense Appeal

• Location: 96 Spadina Ave., just south of Adelaide
• Seating: three seating areas, provide a lot of space and it is a good location for a quick downtown meeting
• Wifi: YES
• Coffee: In competition for some of the best in the city, and they have a great system to order. They use a letter system for the different beans/roasts they offer
• Baristas: Friendly, talented, and just a treasure to chat with
• Notes: from their Facebook page: "We’re a creative coffee lab in Toronto. We roast. We experiment. We are here to make coffee awesomer.”

3. Te Aro Roasted and Crafted by Te Aro

• Location: 983 Queen St. E., between Carlaw and Pape, and 135 Ossington, just north of Queen
• Seating: Plenty, indoor and out
• Wifi: YES
• Coffee: Try the cold drip - a multi-hour process served over ice. A unique cup.
• Baristas: Great and cheerful
• Notes: If you haven’t been to Te Aro, likely you’ve still had their coffee. They are one of the biggest suppliers to independent cafes in the GTA.

4. Rooster Coffee House

• Location: 479 Broadview Ave., just north of Gerrard
• Seating: Stay away during the after school rush. There’s a communal table and some comfortable leather couches and chairs, as well as some window seating and a small patio.
• Wifi: YES
• Coffee: Their coffee is roasted by Te Aro, and their lattes are even better
• Baristas: Cute and friendly, and one of them even has some awards hung on the wall
• Notes: Best view of the city, right across the valley from Riverdale Park 

Know of a coffice-worthy shop in your city? Please provide your lists here or share them with The Coffice community.