About Us
" Bright Jenny is named after my wife, because without her, this company wouldn’t exist (she basically Jedi mind-tricked me into thinking I could run a business with zero experience, but that’s a story for another day). More than that, though, she is an exceptional woman. A sparkly person who swims through my veins like the brightest tasting notes rippling through a super luxe cup of coffee. She is the crisp apple zipping through a fine Guatemalan brew. She is my safest place and my greatest adventure. She is an unexpected donut on a Sunday morning. My muse. My purpose. My shiny penny. My bright Jenny. "
- Dave Upshaw, Owner
How it all began
Bright Jenny started in 2015, on a home built roaster in a back yard shed in downtown Kelowna. In a city with limited specialty coffee options, we decided to take it upon ourselves to share our passion with the city we love. Our original mobile coffee trailer quickly became a Kelowna celebrity serving specialty coffee at the Kelowna Farmers Market for 2 years. We now have a roastery and cafe in the North End of downtown Kelowna, roasting and serving what we believe is super delicious coffee. We have long since outgrown the home roaster, and use the best modern equipment to allow us to showcase amazing small lot coffees from all over the world. We source out and buy the best coffee we can find. Our roast profiles are typically on the lighter, brighter side, allowing the true characteristics of the coffees origin to shine. However we will admit our dark roast is a damn fine coffee as well.
Our Core Values
Give Joy & Be Kind
Kindness is CENTRAL to everything we do across all operations and interactions at Bright Jenny. From greeting any and all who pass through our doors with a genuine ‘Hello’, to helping wholesale partners develop their coffee programs beyond their wildest dreams, to simply adapting our knowledge and teachings to meet people wherever they’re at on their coffee journey - we care, like a lot a lot.
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Curate Flashbulb Coffee Moments
We aim to be people’s flashbulb memory for elevated coffee experiences. When you know, you know, and we want to provide the opportunity for anyone who’s interested, to have that ‘Eureka!’ moment. We love the idea of exploration and play, and would like nothing more than to be the jumping off point for a lifelong epic coffee adventure.
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Play for Each Other
We’re a team - that means we show up for each other, always acting with empathy, while bringing our authentic selves to work every day. Respect across all areas of the business - the coffee itself, the industry at large, our customers, producers, and suppliers, R-E-S-P-E-C-T
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Sustainability and Transparency, Always
We’re committed to an ongoing devotion and curiosity to exploring what Sustainability and Transparency means to our business. This applies to our environmental impact, the business relationships we develop, green buying practices, and employee & customer experiences.
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You're Welcome. YOU! And you, and you, and you, and you...
In the grand scheme of things, we operate a business which serves bean juice for a bunch of diverse and awesome people. We like to ensure each human (and dog) who enjoys our space & brand have opportunities to feel safe and included, while taking a moment to simply slurp on something delicious.
Let us be very clear: This means that Bright Jenny is a safe and inclusive space where EVERYONE is welcome. We passionately advocate for human rights and we will not stand for intolerance, discrimination, or hate under our roof. We don’t shy away from difficult conversations, so ASK US what we’re doing to make the world a little better, CALL US OUT if we’re doing it wrong, and let’s keep the conversations and the coffee flowing.
