Our coffee story is told best by our founder, Charles Litterst: "Born in Canada and raised on coffee plantations in Costa Rica, I learned from a young age of the artistry and passion required for cultivating the finest 100% Arabica beans. For over 40 years, that passion has become the beating heart that spurs my family business, creating gourmet coffee unlike any other. I invite you to enjoy one of life’s greatest pleasures." With such a unique experience in his youth, Charles founded Zavida Coffee in 1980. We are proudly Canadian, with headquarters and a full production facility in Concord, Ontario. We work hard every day to provide over 40 varieties of flavored, single origin and coffee blends to our loyal customers.
Flavored coffee is a passion at Zavida, and it’s where we’ve placed most of our focus.
The fun, happy, and celebratory nature of flavored coffee is the cornerstone of our company.
We focus most of our resources on creating and perfecting a curated range of flavored coffees in different formats – from whole beans to ground coffee, single-serve cups, and individual pouches. We want to provide you with coffee in the format you like to enjoy it!
The liveliness of flavored coffee is what inspired the name of Zavida! It’s a play on words for “la vida”, which means life in Spanish.
Having complete control over the coffee production process, from sourcing to roasting, packaging to distribution, you can get freshly roasted Zavida coffee delivered right to your door through our online store. Our coffee is carried by Costco throughout Canada, Sam’s Club in the US, and many retailers around the world stock our coffee. Should you have coffee fulfilment needs, we also offer Private Label and Office Coffee services. With offer over 40 varieties and flavors, we specialize in quality single origin, blends and flavored coffee.
For any other information about our products and services, visit the FAQ section or contact us at hello@zavida.com
We are proud to offer you a quality product thanks to our various certifications, from Organic certification to Rainforest Alliance certification, and many others! Our certifications include:
Zavida’s facilities are FSSC 22000 certified for our coffee products and will be certified for all liquid flavor products in 2020.
Organic coffee is grown without the use of non-organic synthetic pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers on special isolated farms committed to using sustainable agriculture techniques.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has methods to inspect and certify that farms and processors are following organic methods and adhere to ISO/IEC 17065 standards.
Organic coffee certification preserves natural resources and biodiversity, supports animal health and welfare, receives annual onsite inspections, separates organic from non-organic food and ensures that no genetically modified ingredients are present.
Over 55% of the coffee we source at Zavida is harvested from the Rainforest Alliance farms. This seal helps to ensure that our coffee has been grown and harvested using environmentally and socially responsible practices. Learn more about our partnership with Rainforest Alliance.
Our coffees are certified Halal by ensuring that every ingredient, and how it is processed, is held to the highest Halal standards. This allows our products to bear the Etimad Halal seal.
Zavida’s facilities are certified Kosher by the Kashruth Council of Canada, the largest Kosher certification agency in Canada. Visit cor.ca for more information.
Zavida offers Swiss Water Decaffeinated coffee. This is a 100% chemical free process that consists of pure water, high temperature and 10-hours of time resulting in 99.9% of caffeine removal while retaining the original character of the bean. Visit swisswater.com to learn more.
Environment and Social Responsibility
At Zavida, we care about the environment and social responsibility. We rely on the environment to sustain our business, and we want to give back. Not only do we actively seek out certifications that are good for the planet, such as USDA Organic, and that are good for society, such as the Colombian Coffee Growers Association – but we want to do more!
We partnered with Trees for the Future in 2009, which is a cause close to our hearts. Trees are the lungs of the planet, and we wanted to take part in their protection and stewardship. This is a two-part approach – for every bag of 2 lb or 12 oz coffee we sell on our online store, we plant a tree in the developing world.
We plant trees to offset our carbon emissions on an annual basis. Our total carbon output is calculated by including all raw materials, transportation, and energy use, and we then plant enough trees to absorb all the carbon we emit every year. This allows us to achieve carbon neutrality.
Not only do the trees planted help the environment, but Trees for the Future plants in developing nations, enabling them to restore their environment, grow more food, and build a sustainable future. They revitalize degraded lands by providing farmers with tree seed, technical training, and on-site planning assistance to stimulate the local economy and promote tree planting in all sorts of environments globally. If you would like to learn more about Trees for the Future or if you would like to donate, please visit www.trees.org.
Zavida cares deeply for the environment and the communities we work with to grow and harvest our coffee. Not only do we want to offer our customers coffee of the highest quality, but we also care about sourcing it in an environmentally and socially conscious way. That is why we partnered with The Rainforest Alliance Certified™ organization in 2006.
We source over 55% of our coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ farms, and this number grows every year. The reason we choose certified coffee is that it is grown on farms that adhere to strictly controlled use of agrochemicals, forests are protected, and rivers, soils, and wildlife conserved; workers are treated with respect, properly equipped, and their children are given access to education and medical care.
Our products that carry the Rainforest Alliance seal help to ensure that the Alliance continues to work with coffee farmers to improve their livelihoods and the health and well-being of their communities. Since 1995, the Rainforest Alliance has strengthened the position of coffee farmers by training them in methods that boost yields and safeguard the health of the land for future generations.
At Zavida, not only do we want to make sure our source products are environmentally sustainable, but we also care about recycling! Not only does this reduce our carbon footprint further, but it reduces strain on primary natural resources and the energy needed to harvest and produce from raw timber.We decided to use only 100% recycled corrugated boxes for our shipping needs. Not only are our shipping boxes made from recycled paper, but they can also be recycled after they have been used. Manufactures of 100% recycled corrugated cartons primarily source their materials from recycling plants and from managed and sustained pine tree forests wherein the timber is replaced with new seedlings to begin the process over again. This is a process we truly believe in to protect our natural resources and reuse paper products that are already in circulation.
