Canada’s most popular coffee shop was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1964 by hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade. In 1967, Horton partnered with Ron Joyce, who assumed control over the company when Horton died in a car accident in 1974.
Tim Hortons overtook McDonald’s as Canada’s largest food service operator, accounting for 22.6% of revenues from the fast food industry. As of 2010, there are 3,040 Tim Hortons in Canada and 587 in the United States.
Tim Hortons will enter the United Arab Emirates in 2011, opening stores in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and are expected to open up to 120 stores across the Persian Gulf, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.
Tim Hortons and the Military
The first Tim Hortons military location opened in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2006. The 41 staff members received training before they began their employment on how to handle potential nuclear or biological attacks on the military base. The idea was so popular that Tim Hortons now has many outlets on or near Canadian Forces Bases.
Tim Hortons and Sustainable Coffee Partnerships
Tim Hortons has spearheaded grassroots projects that work closely with farmers, local coffee organizations, and government and non-governmental organizations. Such projects encourage farmers to improve their farming practices to produce higher quality and quantity coffee beans.
Such initiatives have helped support the establishment of new farmers’ organizations in Guatemala and Brazil, and helped to strengthen the existing farmer committees in Colombia.
Tim Hortons works with the communities to provide support in key areas of bean growth through technical training, financial assistance, consultation, providing education and medical care, and helping to strengthen the environment by educating the farmers on techniques and reforestation projects.
Tim Hortons Charity Involvement
As with most great Canadian companies, charity and community work is important.
The Children’s Foundation
This foundation was established by Ron Royce in 1974. It is a non-profit organization that donates money to send children to summer camp. This year, they will serve close to 14,000 disadvantaged children.
Local Programs
Free programs for communities such as march break skating and swimming, and minor sports programs are just a few of the local initiatives. Tim Hortons also encourages in-store donations via Remembrance Day poppies, food drives, and more. The Earn-A-Bike program partners up youths with community leaders to clean up community streets, for which the kids are rewarded their very own bicycle.
Environment
Tim Hortons offers enhanced paper recycling and/or composting in over 400 locations. The cups and other paper packaging can be recycled; however, Tim Hortons emphasizes waste reduction in addition to waste management.
Paper cups are a renewable resource, milled with a chlorine-free process, printed with water-based inks and no added metals. The insides of the cups are lined with then polyethylene liner to prevent leakage. They do not use any adhesives. Tim Hortons also encourages customers to bring their own reusable mugs by rewarding them with a discount.
In recent years, Tim Hortons has become a symbol of home, Canada and Ontario.
