Several Canadian coffee shops have changed the name of Americano to ‘Canadiano’ to register their protest against President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the country.
British Columbia-based coffee firm Kicking Horse Coffee began the ‘Canadiano’ revolution with a since-deleted Instagram post urging stores to rename the beverages to something more patriotic.
The post stated, “We’re officially making it a thing and asking coffee shops across the country to make the switch,” the Washington Post reported. Kicking Horse has reportedly been serving “Canadiano” on its cafe; menu for 16 years.
The popular drink, made with espresso shots and water, has been renamed to the more suitable “Canadiano” nationwide, despite the desire of most coffee shop owners to be politically neutral.
Toronto and Ontario-based Cafe Belem started serving freshly rebranded “Canadianos.” William Oliveira, the shop’s owner, told the Post that while he does not want his establishment to be a “political place,” it is important right now to support Canada in any way they can.
Palisades Cafe owner Elizabeth Watson of British Columbia said she changed her own cafe after a client shared the Kicking Horse social media post, which she deemed “bold and brave.”
Similarly, Todd Simpson, proprietor of Morning Owl coffee shop in Ottawa, said that the minor adjustment was intended to “make light of a serious situation.”
“We don’t need any American products right now. It seems like a really good way to say we’re Canadian,” Mr Simpson told CTV News on Wednesday.
Protests against caffeine were not the only ones in Canada. Recently, hockey players jeered the American national anthem during games, and entrepreneurs created applications that can recognise Canadian-made goods.
President Trump levied a 25 per cent tax on Canadian exports this month in an attempt to push the neighbouring country for more decisive action against illegal immigration and drugs entering the United States.
Despite repeated concerns that the tariffs would hinder economic development and aggravate inflation, the president said on Monday that they would begin in March as scheduled.
