National Campus Food Coalition

The Hive Cafe Solidarity Cooperative

STATUS: ACTIVE

SOCIAL: @hivecafecoop

WEBSITE: www.hivecafe.ca

ADDRESS:  

Downtown Campus: Hall Building, H239, 2nd floor, 1455 de Maisonneuve West

Loyola Campus: 2nd Floor Student Center, 7141 Sherbrooke West

CONTACT INFO: events.hivecafecoop@gmail.com

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

The Hive Cafe Solidarity Co-op has two locations on each campus. It is a student-run cafe that provides healthy, accessible and affordable food to students. The mission of the Hive Cafe Co-op is to be a model food system at Concordia University that provides food through sustainable practices and empowers the student community.

KEY CHALLENGES:

  • Funding

KEY SUCCESSES:

  • Great locations centrally on campus, delicious and affordable food. Perfect spot to study which enjoying drinks and cheap food.
VIDEOS:

Video Archive of Hive Cafe Interviews

NEWS ARTICLES:

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2007

2006

2002

2002

SERVICES:

  • Cafe
  • Events, Music
  • Space rental

TIMELINE

1973 – Original Hive space (bar)
  • The space known as “The Hive” on the Loyola campus originally operated as a student bar starting in 1973.
  • Over time the bar closed and the space became underused.
2007 – Free lunch program begins in the space
  • After renovations created space for a future café, the Loyola Luncheon (a free vegetarian lunch program) began operating there in September 2007.
  • This lunch program later became associated with Hive Free Lunch.
2011 – Planning a sustainable student café
  • The Concordia Student Union (CSU) began developing a student-run sustainable café project to address the lack of affordable food options on campus.
  • Design students helped envision the café as a space guided by social, economic, and environmental sustainability principles.
2013 – Organizing the cooperative
  • Student organizers, including Benjamin Prunty, began building the Hive Café Solidarity Cooperative model.
  • The goal was a student-run cooperative café providing healthy, affordable food and community space.
July 2014 – Startup funding approved
  • The Concordia Student Union approved about $102,000 in startup funding for the café.
  • The cooperative structure included worker members, user members, and support members (including the CSU and Concordia Food Coalition).
Fall 2014 – Hive Café opens
  • The Hive Café officially opened in fall 2014 at Concordia’s Hall Building mezzanine (SGW campus).
  • It operated as a solidarity cooperative, with a small membership fee allowing students to participate in governance.
2015 – Kitchen expansion
  • The café moved food production to a new kitchen on the 7th floor of the Hall Building, near People’s Potato.
  • This allowed more in-house cooking, lower prices, and more local food sourcing.
2016 – Growth and restructuring
  • Membership reached 4,000+ members.
  • Financial adjustments (price changes and wage adjustments) were implemented to make the cooperative more sustainable.
  • The café continued operating at both downtown and Loyola campuses.
2010–present – Student-run cooperative food system
  • The Hive Café has continued operating as a student-run cooperative café offering:
    • vegetarian and vegan food
    • affordable meals
    • community space
    • connections to student food initiatives like Hive Free Lunch.