Fort St. John coffee shop earns nomination for 2026 Canadian Choice Award

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A Fort St. John-based coffee shop may be receiving national recognition. 

Bean UpNorth Coffee House announced in a November 24th Facebook post that it has been nominated for a 2026 Canadian Choice Award in the cafés category.

“Your votes, visits and kind words keep us going every day,” the post read.

Co-owners Emil and Rose Bautista told Energeticcity.ca the recognition feels deeply personal for their small, community-built business.

“Being nominated for a 2026 Canadian Choice Award truly means a lot. We were actually surprised,” they said in a joint statement. 

“As a small business built on love, hard work and community support, this recognition feels so personal. 

“It was just a simple dream to serve good coffee, freshly baked goodies from scratch and make people feel at home, and to be recognized made us very emotional.”

They added that the ongoing support from residents has brought them to this moment: “Our hearts are full.”

The Canadian Choice Awards highlights small and medium-sized businesses across the country, recognizing those that contribute to their local communities and the nation at large.

According to the award’s website, businesses first receive community nominations before a panel selects the top three finalists in each category and city, based on service quality, customer feedback, reputation and community involvement.

The 2026 winners will be announced in January.