Blue Moose Coffee House in Hope

Hope. We all live in hope. Especially the 6000 people who call the town home.














Hope is located at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley and is at the southern point of the Fraser Canyon. To the west is the Lower Mainland and Metro Vancouver. To the east, over the Cascade Mountains, lies the Interior region, the Okanagan, wine country and more. For many drivers, Hope is a convenient stop-off for petrol or coffee.

People have lived in the region for almost 10,000 years, when Sto:lo First Nations resided and prospered in the area. A smallpox epidemic in 1782 killed thousands of Sto:lo, or an estimated 60% of the population of the time. Europeans arrived in waves beginning in 1858 for the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush.



The Blue Moose Coffee House began at the end of last century, when Wes Bergmann opened a coffee shop in December 2000. He had a vision for a place where people could meet and enjoy great coffee and conversation. Judging by our repeated visits, he succeeded.

It's a busy place throughout the day, with locals and travellers enjoying coffees, pastries and light lunch items. There always seems to be a queue to order coffee and the cafe staff are friendly and helpful. There's a positive atmosphere at the Blue Moose.









The wait for the coffee can be longer than might be expected, though it's worth it. Beans are from Ethical Bean Coffee of east Vancouver; the coffee is organic, shade grown, fair trade, locally roasted and tasty.

The tuna cheese melt sandwich was wonderful and made-to-order. I would have expected a nice Kosher pickle on the side, but ...










So. Next time you're on your way to wine country don't give up Hope. Stop and walk around and enjoy the vibe and the coffee at the Blue Moose.

Photos by Jeem. Copyright 2015 by Jim Murray.