Meet the owner of a hopping new Kelowna café

Jenna Huartson has had the idea of opening her own café brewing for years.

So when the opportunity came to open one in either Victoria or Kelowna, she knew it was time to take the plunge.

“Kelowna just had the better deal for a café,” she told Kelowna10, a week after opening the door to Black Rabbit Coffee House on Cook Road, across from the Hotel Eldorado. The space was previously Café XI.

“Starting a café from scratch would have been a little bit more than I would have liked to spend and it probably would have cost me double [in Victoria] than in Kelowna."

Huartson comes with 17 years of industry experience under her belt. She's truly done it all in the coffee world, working as a barista, a manager, and even apprenticing as an equipment technician.

Now, she gets to call the shots, starting with bringing Calgary coffee that’s direct-trade to the city. Rosso Coffee Roasters, she said, supports sustainability and ensures proceeds go to the farmers.

“I had to bring a little bit of home with me, but I also brought what is familiar to me,” Huartson explained. “I wanted to make sure I was supporting small Canadian businesses.”

And why the name Black Rabbit? It honours her two pet rabbits.

In the summer of 2021, she said a litter of rabbits were born on the patio of her favourite brewery in Calgary. She initially only took one home in the hopes of passing it along to a friend.

That fell through, and one grew to three, causing chaos in her apartment. Her friend did eventually take the one rabbit, leaving her with two adorable colleagues to start the new adventure with.

Despite opening shop in the middle of December, Huartson said she’s received a warm welcome.

“Everyone’s been incredibly supportive. Everyday is busier than the last because everybody’s bringing their friends and they’re just really excited with me being here."