Longing for the taste of a proper coffee is something every New Zealander doesn’t even realise they will do battle with when they move overseas. And yet, for those of us already here, we know the challenge all too well. It would appear our Australian cousins run into the same dilemma, and one of these Aussies has done something about it.
Found Coffee was established by Australian Leighton Walters in 2020. Fortunately for us, unlike almost every other business founded moments before Covid-19 rocked the world, Found Coffee is still with us today. Not only did it survive the pandemic, it thrived, with five locations, four of which are in Toronto, and the fifth can be found just over an hours drive away in Guelph. For six years Found Coffee has been treating everyone, including Australians, New Zealanders, to what they miss most, brilliant coffee. Open seven days a week, this might just be the saving grace for newcomers to Canada.
Look, it’s not that Tim Hortons is bad, it’s just certainly different to what the immigrants from Down Under and Down Under’s Down Under are used to. For Canadians, think of the attention to quality and passion for supporting local that is so imperative to pizzerias and pizza culture here. That’s how Aussies and Kiwis treat their coffee. Unfortunately, the trade-off is an abysmally content attitude to chain pizza back home.
Found Coffee is by no means an exclusive experiment for Oceanians, otherwise I imagine they would be out of business very quickly. The Found Coffee team describe themselves as a conduit of the community, something we really felt in their Bellwoods location. But before we can delve into the store, we need to talk about their history with Australia’s answer to the black gold of Marmite, Vegemite!
Vegemitegate
Since 2020, Toronto has been treated to this vitamin-rich elixr and staple of Australian culture thanks to Found Coffee. Vegemite, along with several other food and drink items from our part of the world, is notoriously hard to get in Ontario, and most of Canada for that matter. There are some shops and importers in amongst the skifield-obsessed expats in British Columbia, but travel any further east than Banff, and you’re going to struggle to find Vegemite anywhere.
The price tag on Found Coffee’s shelves might alarm Aussies and Kiwis, but try and pay for shipping and import duty on it for yourself, and you’ll give up as quickly as you started. This small but significant taste of home has brought many customers back to the store over the years. I won’t lie, I’ve largely grown up on Marmite, but if I don’t find anyone making the jump over the Pacific soon, I might be making the switch.
Back in 2025, in a shock turn of events that would have Cyril Callister rolling in his grave, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) deemed the iconic Australian spread as “non-compliant” with food regulations. This threatened Found Coffee’s recent $8,000 import of Vegemite with destruction. The verdict would have denied Australians and several others accessing one of the few tastes of home they had in this part of the world.
“To put it in context, it would be like Australia banning maple syrup”
– Leighton Walters
Fortunately, this didn’t end in a Boston Tea Party with the Toronto Harbour turning a viscous oil-spill black, but it did catch the attention of the biggest names in two soverign nations. Australia’s Anthony Albanese and Canada’s Mark Carney.
The yellow-labeled yeast spread, so famous, it has it’s own museum in Beaufort, Victoria, had it’s defence escalated to the Australian Prime Minister, who, after brief communication on social media with his Canadian equivalent, and likely much more official discussion from each nations respective trade ministries, an agreement was made and Vegemite was back on the shelves!
Photo: Joseph S
Photo: Joseph S
Photo: Joseph S
Our visit to Found Coffee
We arrived on a busy Saturday morning to Found Coffee’s Bellwoods location, a beautiful suburb befitting this lovely coffee shop. Before even getting through the doors a gumball-turned-dog-treat machine was keenly serving the four legged members of the community. As we got up the steps we realised we certainly weren’t the only people out for a mid-morning Saturday cuppa, who would’ve thought? The kind and professional staff moved through the line quickly and in only a matter of a couple of minutes, we were at the front of the queue.
Found Coffee is special for not only it’s staple beverages and it’s famous Vegemite, but also for a wide range of seasonal drinks to keep every visit unique. We ordered the Banana Bread Latte, Lavendar Sugar latte, and Vanilla Almond Tea Latte. If a flat white is more your speed, they’ve got you covered. The shop offers a range of alternative milks for our dairy-free friends.
After sitting down we got to trying our delicious drinks and soaking up the atmosphere. The shop is well decorated. There are a few hints of yellow hiding in some corners, signalling the presence of our favourite Aussie spread, and it was just full enough to feel lively, but not crowded.
I tried all of the drinks, but speaking on my own order, the Vanilla Almond Tea Latte, I already knew I was going to be a fan of this one. Rooibos is one of my favourite teas, and it pairs so nicely with a sweet flavour like vanilla. Almond milk was a great addition to the already present Almond in the drink. Overall the drink had just enough sweetness and flavour going on to be an exciting, worthwhile seasonal beverage, without the over-the-top sugar mountain that is usually found in North America’s equivalents. Would I have one again? Absolutely.
Conclusion
Found Coffee truly is a taste of home away from home. Yes, even for a Kiwi! It’s no secret that due to our smaller populations, New Zealand and Australian-owned businesses are far and few between outside of our homelands.
An affordable coffee shop with great quality beverages. Whether you’re in the big city, or driving through Guelph, add Found Coffee to your list of places to try next.
Toronto probably won’t ever get a State of Origin game, probably won’t ever see the Bledisloe Cup, and won’t be a surprise entry into the great Pavlova debate, but it’s got Vegemite!
Article by Joseph Simpson, 29th March 2026
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