Burnaby operators take a mobile leap
The Burnaby Heights tea outfit known for real fruit infusions and Japanese stone-milled tea is taking its next step on wheels. The duo behind Teaspoons Co. has launched Toki, a mint-green matcha trailer now soft-opened in Richmond, positioning the unit as a nimble extension of their Burnaby-rooted brand while navigating the region’s tight retail real estate and zoning landscape.
Toki soft-opened July 17 and is offering an introductory promotion through July 19, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., with 15% off the full menu and a free sweet treat while supplies last. The trailer, parked in an industrial pocket near Richmond’s Auto Mall, will serve as a semi-permanent home base when it is not dispatched to events and pop-ups.
Why a trailer, not a second shop?
According to the operators, attempts to secure a second brick-and-mortar site repeatedly ran into unsuitable zoning or a lack of proper plumbing. Rather than pause growth, they spent four months moving Toki through permits and licences, building their own space on wheels after years of hauling sinks, tables and much of their Burnaby shop to temporary pop-ups.
“Time is too valuable to spend waiting for the perfect moment,”
reads their launch note, a statement that underscores the calculation behind a mobile unit: faster deployment, lower risk, and the flexibility to pilot a tighter, seasonal menu they cannot commit to daily inside the Heights location.
A refined, matcha-forward menu
Toki’s list is deliberately slim and centred on first-harvest, single-origin tea. Iced matcha lattes are built on a choice of Okumidori (Uji) with a vegetal, floral profile or Baikō (Shizuoka), described as nuttier and roasted. The lineup branches into variations such as a classic matcha crowned with Baikō ice cream, a toasted almond matcha with house-made cold foam, fruit-driven mango and strawberry matchas, a hojicha latte, and fresh watermelon juice. The only posted add-on price so far is $2.50 to stack a French almond financier onto the toasted almond matcha.
Food is similarly concise: a cheesy melt with sun-dried tomatoes, a tuna melt featuring shiso and pickled red onions, freshly baked cinnamon rolls, a French almond financier, and house-made matcha ice cream built on Baikō. The focus, the team says, is control—tight sourcing and seasonal specials that are easier to rotate in a mobile format than at the Burnaby shop.
What Burnaby customers should know
- Teaspoons Co. remains the Burnaby Heights home base for the brand’s broader menu, while Toki carries a more refined, seasonal slate that may change frequently.
- The Richmond trailer will be the semi-permanent hub when it is not appearing at events and pop-ups, giving the operators regional reach without committing to a second fixed lease.
- Launch incentives—15% off and a complimentary sweet while supplies last—run through July 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Launch details at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Soft opening | July 17 |
| Promo window | July 17–19, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Discount | 15% off full menu |
| Extras | Free sweet treat while supplies last |
| Base location | Industrial area near Richmond Auto Mall (semi-permanent when not at events) |
A case study in small-business adaptation
Toki’s debut reflects a pragmatic response to constraints that many small operators in Burnaby and across Metro Vancouver face. After searching for a second storefront and encountering units with either incorrect zoning or insufficient plumbing, the team opted to design a business that fit within the region’s regulatory and space realities. The four-month march through permits and licences—significant for any mobile food venture—enabled them to bring a specialized offering to market while retaining their Burnaby identity and core operation at the Heights.
For Burnaby residents who frequent the original shop, the trailer offers a complementary experience rather than a replica. By leaning into limited, matcha-forward items and seasonal flexibility, the operators are using mobility to test demand and showcase single-origin teas that define the brand. Whether parked at its Richmond base or en route to a pop-up, Toki extends the reach of a Burnaby-grown business without the overhead and uncertainty of a new lease—an approach likely to resonate with other local entrepreneurs weighing their own growth paths.
