by Angus MacCaull

Stacia Peters wants Cape Breton to wake up and smell the coffee.

“There’s nothing better than waking up in the morning and somebody paying for your coffee,” said Peters. “So we started a little program here for the year.”

Every few weeks in 2019, our Sydney River office pays for the first 50 or so cups of coffee or tea at a different local business. The program started brewing after Peters and coworkers heard about our Enfield office’s efforts with pay it forward.

“People were surprised,” said Tracey Black-Hanratty, co-ower of the Ugly Mug Cafe & Emporium. “They were like, this is so nice and thoughtful!”

Other cozy haunts that have offered the program so far include Doktor Luke’s, Downtown Nutrition, Robin’s Donuts, and Gaslight. They’ve been sharing the news on social media, including shots of our cute takeout cups.

“It’s all locally owned coffee shops around the Cape Breton Regional Municipality,” said Peters.

In addition to the caffeine kick, the free coffee seems to bump the sense of community. Folks start their day with a smile and something to talk about. And local businesses feel good about promoting the perks of stopping by. It’s a great blend.

“Customers were really appreciative. We thought it was a good honour for us too,” said Black-Hanratty.

However you look at it, this program is creating quite a buzz.