News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By LeRae Haynes 

A new world opened up in Williams Lake at 72 Oliver Street one week ago. A building that was built in the 1930s has been utterly transformed into ‘New World Coffee and Tea House’ where big city elegance, taste and quality meet with small-town friendly service, comfort and great prices. 

The beautifully renovated building, combined with premium, best-quality coffees, teas and a menu full of fresh tasting ideas and mouth-watering aromas, provides a unique coffee house experience and a revitalization of the downtown core. 

New World serves beyond-fair-trade Origins Coffee, which is artisan-roasted on antique roasting machines, farmer-friendly---right from the country of origin and the farmers themselves. 

They sell over 60 teas from around the world, including five Earl Greys, lovely green scented teas, Oolongs, white teas, herbals and reds. There is even special children’s tea served in a whimsical children’s tea set. 

 There are green tea smoothies and a high-quality spinach protein shake, which is great for athletes, and a full range of coffee and exotic drinks. The well-trained barista staff do micro texturing of the milk---a steaming process that allows very fine and delicate ‘latte art.’   

“It’s all about presentation and atmosphere and taste and value,” said owner Sue Lachance-Watson. “We have a ‘La Maazocco’ espresso machine used in Canadian barista championships, and had a Canadian champion come here to do barista training with us.” 

Breakfast at New World starts at 7am, where you can get omelette wraps, real oatmeal, applejack wraps, and homemade muffins every day. “Our breads are Amish-style brown and white and the wheat is ground on site,” she continued. “All of our baking is done in our own kitchen and we have WOW cheesecakes. For lunch we have paninis, sandwiches, homemade soups, quiche and pizza and always something special for kids, including delicious peanut butter and banana sandwiches.” 

 One of the truly unique things about New World is that they are completely environmentally friendly—even down to the cutlery, take-out containers and cups, which are made from corn and potatoes and are compostable. 

New World recycles plastic bags from other stores, re-labels them and uses them for people to carry out their take-out treasures. “We made a conscious decision, did lots of research and made an enormous commitment to do these things,” Sue explained, and added that their goal is also to use as much locally produced food products as possible. 

“This shop has been a dream of ours for years. The project got started in all earnestness the end of February this year, although we bought the building three years ago. The building had to be rebuilt, insulation added from the inside out, as well as the kitchen, the plumbing—everything. It was truly a labour of love,” she said. 

Local contractors did all the work. Al Eden of Eden Enterprises did the carpentry and Sue’s partner and husband, Steve Watson of Watson Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, did the mechanical work. Sue said that the building itself was built by the Borkowski brothers in the 1930s, and over the years was used for things like a recording studio, a shoe store, a blue jean store and a kickboxing studio. 

New World Coffee and Tea can seat 40 people, and their future may include special group events. Their friendly, skilled staff includes Red Seal Chef Bryce O’Neill, a former chef at Signal Point, who brings experience and expertise to the many delicacies on the menu. 

The chef is on site until 2pm and there is front counter service into the evening.

“What’s most important to us is that people are getting that special attention---that they always feel welcome,” Sue said. “We want to provide a high-end experience in a coffee shop environment. 

“Our friendly staff will make sure that you feel comfortable and that you have a good experience here. For our staff and our clients, we want this to be both a place where people want to work, and where people want to relax and have fun.” 

The coffees, teas and food aren’t the only beautiful things at New World: the building, décor and furnishings have completely transformed the old building into something elegant, warm and welcoming. “Our front entrance was strongly influenced by Communities in Bloom. All of us on the Communities in Bloom committee 13 years ago thought that by creating this lovely space in the downtown core, we would show how proud we are of our community,” she continued. 

“In New World, we want people to come and experience the best of everything: the best food, best coffee and the best service,” she said. “We believe that the people who live here deserve this.” 

 For more information about New World Coffee and Tea, including their menu and hours of operation, visit www.newworldcoffee.ca

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