Where community meets coffee: the story of Quartz Café in Whitehorse
Part of our work on reconciliation is paying attention to who is building community around us. When Quartz Café and Bakery opened in December 2025 at Chu Níikwän Place, the same building as our headquarters in Whitehorse, it quickly became more than a convenient coffee stop for our team. It became a daily reminder of what Indigenous entrepreneurship looks like in practice.
On any given day, the café is filled with quiet moments of connection – a quick coffee before work, a shared lunch between colleagues, or a familiar face stopping in for their usual. Since opening, it has become a place people return to not just for the food, but for the sense of comfort it offers.
Rooted in community
The café is led by Kathleen Lundgaard, a member of the Crow Clan of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry. Quartz Café is family-run, with Kathleen working alongside her daughter and son-in-law. This sense of care carries through in how customers are welcomed and in the relationships built over time.
Local sourcing is central to how the café operates. Coffee comes from Atlin Mountain Coffee Roasters through a custom blend, ingredients are sourced locally and across Canada wherever possible, and a small retail space features goods from Indigenous creators including candles by Twyla Risby of Ross River Dene Council.
Growing through connection
The menu continues to evolve – fresh sourdough and focaccia baked daily, new pastries introduced regularly, catering available for smaller gatherings.
During the 2026 Arctic Winter Games, Quartz Café welcomed visitors from across the North, bringing new energy and new faces into a space that had already become familiar to many on our team.
For Kathleen and her family, the café has always been more than running a business. It is about creating a welcoming space where people gather, share food and connect. That intention is visible every day and it reflects the kind of community presence we hope to support through our ongoing reconciliation commitments.
Explore more stories like this one in our 2025 Reconciliation Progress Report and learn how community connections continue to grow across the North.
