JJ Bean Granville Island

JJ Bean is a Vancouver coffee roaster that has been in business since 1996 and marks its thirtieth year in 2026. Its approach to buying coffee is straightforward: it says it buys the best-tasting coffee regardless of certification and pays well above Fair Trade prices for every coffee it buys. It also supports the Over + Above Foundation. The roaster aims for a balance of complexity and drinkability, paying close attention to each coffee's acidity and sweetness.

The core blends cover a range of tastes. The JJ blend is the classic, medium roast with caramelised notes; Eastside is fruitier and more complex; Railtown is dark and smoky; and there is a sweet, mellow decaf. Seasonal single origins rotate through the year and have included coffees from Guatemala and Ethiopia. You can buy beans to take home, which makes a useful souvenir from the market.

At Granville Island the coffee is served at the Blue Parrot and JJ Bean counter inside the Public Market. Its main advantage for visitors is timing: it opens at 7:30am, while the market as a whole opens at 9am, so it is the place for an early coffee before the stalls get going. The market is open every day except 25 and 26 December, 1 January and Mondays in January.

A coffee here is the natural start to a morning at the market. Once the stalls open you can move on to the produce, seafood and bakery counters, then eat in the outdoor area that looks across False Creek towards downtown. Petit Ami, another early opener, starts serving at 8:30am if you want a second stop.

The best way to arrive is by the small Aquabus or False Creek Ferries boats from downtown, Yaletown, the West End or Vanier Park, which makes the journey part of the outing. The island also has Granville Island Brewing, which still brews small batches on site, theatres and the Kids Market, so a morning coffee can turn into a full day. JJ Bean has other cafés across the city, listed on its website, if you want to try the coffee elsewhere.