Edmonton coffee roaster listed among top coffee shops in North America
Posted April 17, 2026 5:03 pm.
Last Updated April 18, 2026 9:39 am.
After nine years of serving directly sourced coffee to Edmontonians, the owners of the Colombian are getting international recognition, and customers say it’s become a part of their daily routine.
“I believe it. I like to consider myself a little bit of a coffee snob, and I have tried almost all the other coffee shops here in Edmonton, and I just got back from Mexico. I would have to agree with it,” said Kat Kaldestad, a customer.
Kaldestad comes to the Colombian Coffee Bar and Roastery’s Glenora location almost every day since she moved nearby, even when it’s not easy.
“Yes, I do. Me and Sadie here,” said Kaldestad while looking at her dog when asked if she still gets coffee when it’s minus-40 Celsius.
The Colombian was number 15 on the list of the 100 best coffee shops in North, Central America, and the Caribbean. The list was compiled by those in the coffee roasting industry.
“I came to Canada as a refugee, and up until about nine years ago, I had a construction company,” explained Santiago Lopez, the co-founder of the Colombian Coffee Bar and Roastery.
Lopez arrived in Canada from Colombia 20 years ago. He says nearly a decade ago, he got a call from his uncle back in Colombia, who had purchased a coffee farm, after seeing the struggles of small coffee farmers, and Lopez agreed to sell his uncle’s coffee here in Edmonton.
He, along with his wife and business partner Kristin, originally sold coffee at farmers’ markets. They now have six shops in the Edmonton area and another in Saskatoon. For Santiago, the coffee shop is a way to bridge the gap between Edmonton and his native Colombia.
“I really want to showcase the beautiful things about our country, because it’s a beautiful place, but we have very positive things, very hard-working people. Today, we work with over 150 producers, mostly in the southern part. We strive to only work with small producers,” Lopez explained.
Kristin Panylyk de Lopez, a co-founder of the Colombian Coffee Bar and Roastery, added, “The fact that we truly direct source our coffee. Coffee quality, barista expertise, and sustainability.”
Panylyk de Lopez believes that’s what put their coffee shop on the list this year, adding that while she feels humbled by the award. She and her husband feel more honoured to become a part of Edmonton’s life.
“We are so grateful that they choose us to come here every day, and it is just super humbling that we have people who love what were doing, we really appreciate them,” said Panylyk de Lopez.
Customers on Friday told CityNews they’re grateful to be able to enjoy some of the best coffee on the continent.
“I love the vibe in there. It’s really cute. All the staff are really nice, and the coffee is some of the best coffee in Edmonton,” said Kendra Richards, a customer.
The Colombian made the list out of more than 4,600 coffee shops.
