What Building in Calgary Taught Us About Making Friends

Calgary is where we began putting the Koffeeyap idea into practice.

Building in one city gave us a chance to understand the details that a broad idea can miss. “Meet someone for coffee” sounds straightforward until you need to find two people who can reach the same café at the same time.

Someone can be a promising match on paper and still be difficult to meet in real life. Availability matters. Location matters. So does having enough information to make a clear decision about the plan.

These details became part of our work on matching.

We learned to treat the café and the time as central parts of the introduction. A member needs to know where they are going, when they are expected, and what happens next.

Calgary also shaped how we thought about local partnerships. Independent cafés already provide places where conversations happen. Community organizations already bring people together. We began exploring how Koffeeyap could work alongside them to help people make individual connections.

Starting locally has given us a clearer view of the work involved. Growing a pool of members is one task; arranging practical, dependable introductions is another.

Both need attention.

Our experience in Calgary continues to influence how we build. Every improvement should bring us closer to a coffee that fits into someone’s life and gives them a real opportunity to get to know another person.