The story of Toronto’s fastest-growing superfood café chain begins with a cash register and a dream. “When I was 10, I asked my mom for a cash register for my birthday,” nutbar founder Kate Taylor Martin recalls, her enthusiasm evident even through a video call. “Back in the 90s, a cash register wasn’t an iPad – it was this huge clunky metal thing. My mom had to look through the yellow pages to find one.”
That early retail passion has evolved into something remarkable. With their fifth location newly opened in Midtown and construction beginning at the former Sorry Coffee space in Yorkville, nutbar is challenging traditional notions of what a modern café can be. The expansion represents a deliberate move against current industry trends, emphasizing physical spaces and human connection in an increasingly digital market.
The path to creating Toronto’s premier superfood destination wasn’t obvious. Taylor Martin’s journey began at St. Michael’s Hospital, where working in PR opened her eyes to gaps in the healthcare system. “I felt this incredible calling to learn more about how to take accountability for my own health,” she explains. This led her to the Institute for Holistic Nutrition, where something clicked. “That same feeling that I had with the cash register – I went into that school and something just felt like it was lit up inside of me.”
During her studies, Taylor Martin began developing the superfood-based recipes that would eventually form nutbar’s foundation. “I would take these superfoods that I learned about in school and go home and try to make healthy snacks,” she explains. “I would give them to friends and family and people were like, ‘this is delicious, but where am I supposed to get this on the go?'” That question became the catalyst for nutbar’s first location in Summerhill in 2016.
Today, each nutbar location tells its own story. The recently opened Midtown store features bistro tile floors, antique mirrors, and linen sconces. “I wanted it to feel like a really light filled, beautiful community neighborhood coffee shop,” Taylor Martin explains. The upcoming Yorkville location will adapt to its upscale surroundings while maintaining the brand’s signature warmth through natural materials.
The growth extends beyond cafés. nutbar recently acquired a manufacturing facility in North York, where they produce over 4,000 litres monthly of their signature “barmilk” product. With 30% organic nut content – far exceeding industry standards – the $22 premium product represents the brand’s expansion into retail.
What sets nutbar apart is their contrarian approach to modern food retail. While competitors race toward automation and digital ordering, Taylor Martin is betting on human connection. “In this hyper-digitalized, AI-automated world, the coffee shop of the future is actually going back,” she asserts. “More than ever, humans are desperate for face-to-face connection of a barista who smiles at them and remembers their order.”
This philosophy has created deep community bonds. “We just opened Midtown and I was standing there talking to every customer who walked in,” Taylor Martin shares, her voice brightening. “I had many people crying or tearing up saying, ‘You have no idea what nutbar means to me.’ Your Summerhill team got me through the hardest time in my life. Your Leslieville team held me when my dog died.”
Looking ahead, Taylor Martin sees potential beyond Toronto, with Vancouver’s health-conscious market presenting an attractive opportunity. She’s also watching her brother’s success with Othership in New York as a possible pathway for international growth. The brand’s real estate strategy is being handled by Ali Baker and Caitlyn Micuda at commercial real estate firm Avison Young.
“I’ve never wanted to grow just for the sake of growing,” she emphasizes. “I’m really lucky. I’m a sole founder. I can make decisions when I want. That’s been part of the success – it hasn’t just been about the bottom line. I have been very conscious about slow and steady growth to make sure that we have deep roots.”
The Yorkville location is scheduled to open in April 2025, bringing nutbar’s vision of community-focused, health-conscious cafés to another premium Toronto neighborhood. For Taylor Martin, it’s another step in a journey that began with a child’s fascination with a cash register and has grown into a mission to change how Torontonians think about healthy food and community connection.
Dustin Fuhs is the Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication. He has over 20 years of experience in the retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality industries, including with The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, Starbucks and Blockbuster.
Dustin was named as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024 and 2025.