IQALUIT
Well-known coffee chain Starbucks landed in Nunavut's capital city at the beginning of this month, but competitors say they remain unconcerned.

The Qikiqtaaluk Corporation's Baffin Gas Bar in Iqaluit's Plateau neighbourhood recently started offering Starbucks coffee this month. - Casey Lessard/NNSL photo

Grind and Brew owner Brian Twerdin told Nunavut News/North he was much more more worried when Tim Hortons set up shop at three North West Company outlets in late 2010, because he hadn't yet diversified his business beyond coffee and items such as muffins.

"Now we have the pizza and it was the best thing that happened to me," he said.

Back then, Twerdin and his wife, former Iqaluit mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik, were bringing Tim's coffee in and the new coffee kiosks in the North Mart grocery and general stores meant they had to stop. They switched to a supplier out of Richmond, B.C.

Now with the presence of Tim's firmly established in town, Twerdin said he still sells coffee to many regulars. But in addition to the pizza, his company now also offers catering.

"We're doing well," he said, "but I don't think we would be able to survive if we didn't have the pizza and restaurant part of it."

After the experience of shifting his business, Twerdin isn't really that concerned with the prospect of more competition.

"To be honest with you, I couldn't care less who starts a coffee shop," he said. "We've been in business since 1998 and we still always manage to operate and diversify. We still have the best coffee in town."

Over at the Caribrew Cafe in the Frobisher Inn, Nunastar's vice-president of hotels, Rainer Launhardt, said he isn't worried either by the new presence of Starbucks because most of his establishment's sales are from food items rather than coffee.

"I don't think it will have much of an impact," he said on the phone from Calgary. "We don't have a brand but we have high-quality coffee and people recognize that."

Launhardt said the cafe's coffee comes from a supplier in Calgary.

The hotel executive said that most of the clients of the Caribrew Cafe are from the local community, including the nearby high school.

"The students frequent Caribrew quite often," Launhardt said.

Coffee sales at the Caribrew did drop during the introduction of Tim Hortons, but Laundhardt said following the introduction of the "Canadian institution," things are back to normal.

Ultimately, Laundhardt said the issue facing many coffee shops in the city isn't a lack of customers, brand recognition or demand, it's retaining employees.

"It's very hard to labour, training staff and maintain staff," he said. "Starbucks will have the same problem."

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