AboUT
Glitter Bean Cafe is a queer-centric, unionized, worker-owned co-op offering specialty coffees, teas, baked treats, light fare, liquor service, catering, venue rental and community events! Find us at 5896 Spring Garden Rd in Kjipuktuk | Halifax, Mi’kma’ki | Nova Scotia.
Glitter Bean Cafe rose as an alternative to working in an unfair work environment under private ownership. Workers who lost their jobs banded together to form a worker co-op and breathe life back into our much-loved, cozy cafe. We remain unionized with SEIU 2, a victory won by cafe workers in 2013. Glitter Bean exists to provide employment and community space that affirms the dignity, wellness, and joy of queer, BIPOC and equity-deserving communities. We are collectively owned and democratically governed by our workers who are majority queer and queer folks of color. Our little business is unique and strives to be values-based, heart-forward, and relational.
what is a co-op?
Worker co-operatives are businesses that are owned and democratically controlled by the members. To create their worker co-op, members combine their skills, interests and experiences to achieve mutual goals such as creating jobs for themselves, providing a community service and increasing democracy in the workplace. At Glitter Bean, members contribute to all aspects of running the cafe, from day-to-day operational functions such as maintenance, inventory, marketing, and event bookings to mentoring new members, participating in education and training, and maintaining mutual partnerships with other small businesses and the larger co-op movement across the country.
Join our patreon!
It's a tale as old as time-or at least as old as the Covid-19 pandemic. We, alongside so many small businesses in 2020, made short-term and unavoidable financial decisions, like taking out large loans from the federal government. For a very long time, and all through lockdowns and the pandemic, we've struggled to make ends meet. But now, after some big changes and lots of work behind the scenes, Glitter Bean Cafe Co-op is finally starting to become stable. With the help of new customers and well-loved regulars, Glitter Bean is growing to be a sustainable business! We're beginning to look to the future instead of struggling to stick around in the present.
After costs, every cent of our Patreon goes to paying back our debt and eventually making us a debt free, and sustainable, business. We want to be around for years and years to come. We believe our community deserves a Queer, worker-owned space, and we are fighting tooth and nail to stick around and be that space.
Peruse our selection of free seasonal drinks, cool vinyl stickers, and our exclusive updates here.
Glitter bean theme song!
Listen to the unofficial Glitter Bean theme song written by Robert Drisdelle (Century Egg, Smear Frames)
Proud to Carry products from
The Glitter Bean logo and other visual identity material was designed by Christopher Gibson at Radar Graphics. We want to thank him for his help and to recommend his services to people looking for some one in the creative development field, including advertising design, product packaging, editorial/publishing layout, logo design, branding and project management! You can find his work and contact at radargraphics.ca