For cafés, bakeries, and coffee-serving businesses. The application takes about four minutes and there is no fee.

Before you start, have ready: your website, the city and country you operate in, the roaster or roasters you buy from, and the postal address where we should mail your window stickers.

Every statement in the Café Pledge must be true of your business. If one of them isn't, don't work around it — tell us instead. We would rather have an accurate list than a long one.

Not sure this is the right form? The roaster application is for businesses that roast their own coffee. If you do both, use that one. New to the standards? Read them here first.

Café Application

Most browsers will fill your name, business and address in one click. Start typing in the first box and accept the suggestion if one appears.

About you

Your name

Your role

Business name

Contact email address

Phone

Optional. Only used if something needs a quick conversation.

Website

Instagram handle

Optional.

Where you are

This is both where we list you and where your window stickers go, so the postal details matter.

Street address

Unit, suite or floor

Optional.

City

Province, state or region

Postal or ZIP code

Country

Send the stickers somewhere else?

Optional. Leave blank and we will mail them to the address above. Every approved location gets two stickers — the round window seal and the square one with a QR code — at no cost, wherever you are. Want more than two? Just ask.

Your listing

How should your business be named on the Approved list?

Exactly as you want it to appear, including any accents or punctuation.

Number of locations

Ownership structure
Select one Independently owned — single location Independently owned — multiple locations
CBI Approval is reserved for independently owned businesses. Franchise-operated businesses are not eligible.

The CBI Café Pledge

Every statement below must be true of your business for approval. Your submission serves as your electronic signature.

We serve specialty-grade 100% Arabica coffee, scoring 80 points or higher on the original cupping system.

We buy from roasters who publish roast dates and source current-crop green coffee.

We serve espresso made with coffee roasted within roughly 3–14 days, adjusted by taste.

We serve filter coffee made with coffee roasted within roughly 3–30 days, adjusted by taste.

We grind on demand. We do not brew from pre-ground coffee.

Any retail bags we sell carry a visible roast date.

We do not serve flavoured coffee as part of our core offering, whether the flavour was added after roasting or introduced during processing.

We train our staff to serve customers with care, and treat hospitality as part of the craft.

Which roaster or roasters do you currently buy from?

Evidence

One thing makes a review quick. Paste a link, or send it by reply once you have submitted — whichever is easier.

A photo of a bag you are currently serving, showing the roast date

Acknowledgements

I confirm I have read and understood the CBI Approval Standards, and that our business meets them.

I understand CBI Approval is ongoing rather than time-limited, that we will be asked once a year to confirm these statements are still true, and that approval may be withdrawn if they are not.

I confirm the information in this application is accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Anything else

Anything you'd like us to know?

Optional. Your equipment, your training, anything that gives us useful context.

Submit application

We review applications by hand. You will hear back within ten working days. If approved, you'll receive your CBI Approved logo files by email, your listing goes up on the Approved Cafés page, and two window stickers — the round seal and the square QR sticker — go in the mail at our cost, wherever you are. Want more than two? Just ask. You can see the marks and the usage guide before you apply.