This February marks the 30 year anniversary of Renaissance Coffee, SFU’s hub of coffee, food, and connection. Since its beginnings in 1996 as a small coffee stand, owner Parminder Singh Parhar has strived for one thing: to make a great cup of coffee. Over the years, himself, his wife, Kamaljit Parhar, and the hardworking Renaissance team achieved something much more significant: they became a cornerstone of the SFU community. From first-year students to long-term professors, there likely isn’t a soul who hasn’t seen or frequented the beloved café located in the AQ. To mark their 30 years in the community, the Renaissance team hosted a raffle event and a cake-cutting ceremony on February 25. The Peak spoke to Parminder — owner, manager, barista, and janitor (his words!) — to learn more about Renaissance over the years.
Parhar’s initial vision for Renaissance Coffee: “This is where great minds will sit together and have a meeting to come up with a great idea.” Over time, this goal became a reality and led to the establishment and space we know and love today. With a little help from their friends, their community impact deepened. Parminder and Kamaljit established the Renaissance Coffee Bursary in 2006, supporting students with a rich volunteer history who were in financial need. Following this bursary, they created The Parminder and Kamaljit Parhar Athletic Entrance Award, and The Parminder and Kamaljit Parhar Bursary for Indigenous Students. Parhar gratefully said that these awards would never exist without the effort of the many brilliant friends who contributed to this achievement.
Parhar passed on his gratitude to the community they serve for their lasting support and loyalty.
“The community makes our job so much easier, day in and day out. And they see it firsthand, how hard we work. But they reward us with their presence. They reward us with the comments [about] how good the food is, how good our drinks are.”
— Parminder Parhar
The loyalty of their clientele does not go unnoticed, either. He reflected that he sees people walk to Renaissance daily from further locations on campus, like the Beedie School of Business, for the sole purpose of getting a drink from Renaissance. “Now you have to fulfill that responsibility of producing a good product so that it is worth their time,” he said.
It seems to me that Renaissance Coffee is based on several core values that can be credited for their lasting success at SFU. They are consistently open, from early morning classes to late-night study sessions to reading break. During 2020, following the closure of SFU campuses due to COVID-19, the café reopened in September with safety protocols in place. They remained open until classes were back on campus in fall 2021. They provide quality, local ingredients for their food and drinks, like their coffee beans roasted locally in Abbotsford. They take the time to bake their goods in-house, and make most of their food on-site. Most of all, they work hard every day to provide quality service and love in every cup. Personally, I know that an iced matcha or a latte at Renaissance has often made the difference between a bad day and a good day.
Parhar had some inspiring words to leave with those of us who need to hear it. “It doesn’t matter what you do in life. You just have to stay focused, and don’t worry about the noise and some temporary failures and all that stuff. So just keep on.”
Thank you, Renaissance team, for 30 years of service to the SFU community, and here’s to many more!
