Wood’n Beans, eh! is like no other. The charming coffee shop sells delicious specialty coffees, espresso pastries, baked goods, and yes, as the name suggests, wood.
I guess the question would be, would you like wood to go?
The combination of a cafe and custom crafted wood shop was conceived when owners Jole and Pauline Bedard moved to Agassiz a couple years back and decided to open up shop.
They wanted to create something cozy, with a rustic feel, a place where people could unwind, leave their troubles at the door, and enjoy a good cup of joe, while admiring Jole’s unique custom wood furniture.
The French Canadian couple are from back east, met in Quebec city, and have been going strong for 34 years.
“It’s been like two life sentences” says Pauline, of their life together, but it’s obvious the couple are still very affectionate.
It’s the second business for the pair, after running a bed and breakfast in Ontario for many years.
“We really enjoyed our experience with the bed and breakfast and that was part of the reason we wanted to open up a hospitality business here in Agassiz on a smaller scale,” said Jole.
Their goal was to create something a little different than the typical cafe with their main objective to establish a warm and inviting ambience reminiscent of their previous country inn.
“It felt like a home away from home and we wanted to create the same type of atmosphere here, and we have a lot of people who walk in and say it’s like we’re home,” which is a nice affirmation for the hardworking couple, whose days begin before sunrise, and often don’t end until much later than the average work day.
The furniture was something the Bedard’s also brought with them from back east.
On the authentic and custom made furniture displayed in the store…
“I do most of the work and it’s custom furniture, so if someone is looking for a piece of furniture to fit in their house that may have a corner with odd dimensions, or if they want something of their own design or if they need help with the design, we will design it for them,” said Jole.
Typically, once the customer’s needs have been determined, Jole will set out to make it happen, and the item/items will be delivered within four to six weeks.
Wood, n, Beans, eh! has been going strong since its inception on June 11, two years ago, and they are looking forward to a busy summer season.
Currently, they have two very charming baristas Roxy and Dane who help to brighten up customers day while serving an exemplary product.
Everything is home baked, as much as possible, including the soups and breads featured on the menu.
They also offer an assortment of teas and specialty jellies.
“We want to offer customers a one stop shop and we have little gifts which were great around the holidays and we’re totally Canadian,” said Pauline.
Not only is their patriotism apparent in the eh, part of their namesake, but when they were putting together the décor they wanted to figure out a way to represent each province, so they found some old antique windows, and dedicated a province to each window.
“It’s quite a lot of fun to see people come in from out of province and take pictures — they focus in on the window where they’re from and they say, oh yeah, I know that landmark, and each window has their provincial flag, and that’s a big attraction here.”
The Bedard’s are big on promoting Canadians and local product in everything they do.
“Our keys come from Mission, our coffee is from BackPorch Coffee Roasters, so we try to support local as much as we can,” said Pauline.
The walls are painted in a soothing blackberry, there’s a roaring fireplace on hand with comfortable couches, custom tables to sit at, as well as quaint background music to create a charming oasis for a little comfort out of the hustle and bustle of an ordinary day.
For more information about Jole’s custom furniture, or about Wood’n Beans, eh! 604-378-9795.