When Charlie Burke created the Baden Coffee Company in 1997, he had two passions. One was for coffee, and the other for golf. For years he wanted to bring his two passions together and in 2015 he did. The result was Pipeline Coffee.
“The idea with Pipeline and with the name is that we are giving back to the grassroots of golf. Proceeds from every pound of coffee go back to junior golf. We are doing our small part. We love golf as a family and as a business. We sell to golfers, to people in the golf business and we just want to see it have success,” said Charlie.
The Burke family has been involved with golf in the province for a number of years. Charlie’s son Cameron grew up progressing through Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) programs and was the Canadian Amateur Champion in 2008 and 2009. He now competes on the Web.com Tour.
The Baden Coffee Company, located in the town of Baden, outside of Kitchener/Waterloo, supplies signature coffees to over 400 businesses in Southern Ontario. These included restaurants, colleges and universities, healthcare providers, retail outlets, cafes and of course golf courses.
While the Baden Coffee Company offers numerous coffees, there is something special about Pipeline. “We have developed a relationship with a family in Nicaragua that we buy directly from,” said Burke. “We were there twice in 2015 to establish the relationship with this family and make sure we pay more for the raw coffee so that their sustainability is better. Pipeline comes from that one farm, so it is going to be the same every year.”
Now with proceeds from each pound sold going back to junior golf initiatives, through the Golf Association of Ontario, Burke is hoping that he can get more of an on-course presence for the coffee so that it is not only available to drink at golf courses but also to purchase.
Baden Coffee Company has already made a $1,200 donation to the Golf Association of Ontario for the 2015 sales of Pipeline. “I hope the donation we give to the Golf Association of Ontario is only a start. We want to be able to give back to what we feel passionate about,” said Burke.
Pipeline has already made its way onto a handful of courses including: Westmount Golf & Country Club, Deer Ridge Golf Course, Innerkip Highlands Golf Club, The Ridge at Manitou and Cutten Fields Golf Club.
“Since switching, our members have been very complimentary towards Pipeline. The coffee has a much bolder taste that has been well received. We have also set up a donation box that will go to Junior Golf as well,” said Rishi Thakker, Food and Beverage Manager at Cutten Fields.
With that support as the starting point, Burke continues his goal to get more clubs to carry Pipeline for their members and guests to help give back to junior golf. “We are trying to take a passion we have with coffee, and a passion for golf and put the whole thing together,” added Burke.
For more information on Pipeline, the Baden Coffee Company or to order, contact Charlie Burke at: 519-634-5807, charlie@badencoffee.com or http://badencoffee.com.
