Words & Photos: Malik S.
After much anticipation and waiting, The Grade 10 Experiential Program day 3 was finally here. Day 3 began with the School Grounds Coffee Cohort ride-sharing with our pals from the Sports Analytics Cohort to get downtown to the Victoria public market at the Hudson, in a sustainable fashion.
Debriefing for the day was kicked off in the funky and fun but under utilized Hudson Market, where the cohort was split into four groups, all tasked with taking to the streets of Victoria and doing some market research and competition scouting on 4 different cafes each. Each of the four carefully selected cafes for each group was chosen to indulge us students in the greatest variety of coffee and cafe experiences Victoria has to offer. Each student from each group was given one particular cafe they would do an in-depth analysis on.
Countless cups of coffee and plates of baked goods later, the Cohort reconvened in the public market, where we set about sharing our findings from the day. While gathering our thoughts, as well as potential ideas we could poach, we simultaneously indulged ourselves in a delicious meal of our choosing from the market.
Once the words were spoken and bellies filled, we filled back on to the school bus to journey to Level Ground Coffee roasters, the largest coffee roasters on Vancouver Island.
At Level Ground, we were welcomed by one of the founders, Stacey, and he gave us a fantastic tour of their facilities. We started in the offices, moved to the cupping rooms, then the loading bay, packing area, and roasting facilities. It was a great learning experience and we got to ask lots of questions and go behind the scenes of a large scale coffee roaster.
Stacey finished off the one of a kind experience with an engaging and inspiring presentation that dived into the sustainability aspects of the business, and how Level Ground became a carbon-neutral large coffee roaster. The presentation also allowed for us interested in business to engage in conversation with Stacey about the commercial side of things.
Overall, the day was a lot of fun and an experience we can learn and take from in the future, one we certainly won’t forget. This experience has helped propel School Grounds to new levels, which you will soon get to see for yourselves.