The Balzac's Story

To understand the Balzac’s story is to understand our inspiration. Honoré de Balzac, one of history’s consummate coffee aficionados, was a prolific and celebrated 19th century French novelist. His prodigious output was famously fueled by copious cups of strong, black coffee consumed throughout the night. While working and studying in Paris, Balzac’s founder Diana Olsen discovered a kindred spirit in Monsieur Balzac and his genuine passion for coffee. Passing many enchanting afternoons in the City of Light’s grand cafés, Ms. Olsen was inspired to bring this sophisticated celebration of coffee and social tradition back to Canada.

To date, Balzac’s has 8 cafes in Southern Ontario, with two more on the near horizon.

Balzac’s values are infused throughout the entire customer experience. Artisanal, Sustainable, Local and Natural are the four cornerstones of Balzac’s business practices.

Each of our products are thoughtfully and diligently sourced, with a focus on local and organic. While an eye is kept on efficiency and affordability, Balzac’s will not take short cuts with quality or preparation techniques. Balzac’s strives to offer “slow-food” prepared quickly, not “fast-Food”.

What makes us truly unique and gives us a competitive advantage is that all dairy used in our beverage service is organic and locally sourced. Our organic dairy partner is Southern Ontario based, Harmony Organic.

Further to that commitment is our focus on partnering with the best local bakeries to ensure what we offer is truly representative of the neighborhood in which the Café resides.

Environmentally, Balzac’s was the first coffee company in Canada to receive a LEAF certification, in which we underwent an environmental assessment from Leaders in Environmentally Accountable Foodservice.

Balzac's Coffee Roasters at UP Express Union Station is open from 6:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 7:00 a.m. – 8 p.m. weekends and holidays.