☕ Neighbourly Coffee Fredericton: Marcel LeBrun, 12 Neighbours & the Story Behind the Café
🍁The Rob Brown Realty Journal
Wednesday | Living Fredericton
One Fredericton coffee shop is serving something that doesn't come in a cup.
There's something wonderfully familiar about a neighbourhood coffee shop.
The sound of an espresso machine.
The smell of freshly baked bread.
A conversation happening at the next table that you're absolutely not listening to.
Well... not intentionally.
Coffee shops have become part of the rhythm of Fredericton. They're where we meet friends, catch up on work, enjoy a quiet morning or simply find an excuse to get out of the house.
But tucked into a community on Fredericton's north side is a café with a story that goes considerably deeper than the coffee.
It's called Neighbourly Coffee.
And while you can certainly visit for a cappuccino, breakfast or something freshly baked, understanding what happens beyond the counter makes the experience a little more meaningful.
Because Neighbourly Coffee isn't simply a café with a charitable connection.
It's part of an ambitious effort to rethink what community can look like.
And the story begins with a familiar Fredericton name.
A University of New Brunswick graduate, LeBrun was the CEO and co-founder of Radian6, the Fredericton-based social media monitoring company acquired by Salesforce in 2011 in a deal valued at nearly $350 million.
It was a remarkable business success story.
The kind that helped demonstrate that world-class technology companies could be built right here in New Brunswick.
But LeBrun's next major undertaking would look very different.
Instead of building another technology company, he turned his attention to one of the most difficult challenges facing communities across Canada.
Homelessness.
Not an easy problem.
Not a problem with a single cause.
And certainly not one that can be solved simply by building a few houses and hoping everything works out.
But LeBrun believed there was an opportunity to approach the issue differently.
That thinking eventually led to 12 Neighbours, a Fredericton charitable organization focused on creating stable housing, building relationships and helping people pursue greater independence.
And here's where the story becomes especially interesting.
The idea wasn't just to provide a roof.
It was to create a place where people could rebuild connections, discover opportunities and feel part of a community.
Its first major undertaking was an ambitious one: creating a neighbourhood of small, permanent homes for people who had experienced homelessness.
By spring 2024, the original community of 96 micro-homes had been completed.
But the vision extended beyond the houses themselves.
Because housing is essential, but having a home doesn't automatically solve every challenge someone may be facing.
People also need opportunities.
Connections.
A sense of purpose.
And the ability to participate in the life of the wider community.
That thinking is reflected in the organization's approach to social enterprise.
Rather than treating employment and community participation as separate issues, 12 Neighbours has worked to connect them.
Which brings us back to the coffee.
It was an opportunity to introduce the concept, develop the business and create employment and training experiences.
But the long-term plan was always bigger.
In June 2024, Neighbourly Coffee opened its permanent café at the 12 Neighbours Community.
And suddenly, something interesting happened.
People who might never otherwise have visited the community had a reason to come.
Not for a formal presentation.
Not for a fundraising event.
Not because they were being asked to solve a problem.
But because they wanted coffee.
Or lunch.
Or a loaf of bread.
And sometimes, the simplest invitation is the most effective.
Come in. Have something good to eat. Stay awhile.
The café became a meeting point between the 12 Neighbours Community and the wider Fredericton community.
A place where people could work, learn, meet and interact.
That's what makes the business model different.
The coffee matters.
The food matters.
The customer experience matters.
But the opportunity created through the business matters, too.
A business with a meaningful mission still has to give people a reason to return.
Good intentions don't automatically make a good latte.
Neighbourly Coffee has embraced specialty coffee, handcrafted food and fresh baking as central parts of its identity.
Its offerings include espresso drinks, breakfast and lunch options, sourdough bread and pastries.
The business also offers catering, wholesale services and space bookings.
And it has developed a coffee club designed to bring enthusiasts together through tastings, workshops and other opportunities to learn.
That's an interesting combination.
A café built around a social purpose that's also taking its coffee seriously.
Because the goal isn't simply to attract customers who feel good about supporting a cause.
It's to create a place people genuinely enjoy visiting.
A place they might recommend because the coffee was excellent.
Or because they enjoyed breakfast.
Or because it was simply a comfortable place to meet someone.
The mission gives the café meaning. The experience gives people a reason to come back.
And a successful social enterprise needs both.
The café was created in part to provide opportunities for people facing barriers to entering or re-entering the workforce.
And those barriers can be substantial.
Imagine trying to maintain a job when you don't have stable housing.
Or when your daily life is consumed by the uncertainty of where you'll sleep.
Now imagine having a secure place to live, support from a community and an opportunity to develop workplace skills.
That doesn't mean every challenge disappears.
But it can create a very different starting point.
The café offers opportunities to develop practical skills, gain experience, earn income and build relationships.
And those benefits can extend beyond the workplace.
There's dignity in contributing.
Confidence in learning something new.
And value in knowing your work matters to other people.
Of course, no single coffee shop can solve homelessness or remove every barrier to employment.
It would be unfair to place that expectation on one business.
But Neighbourly Coffee offers a useful example of what can happen when employment opportunities are designed to be part of a larger community-building effort.
When we talk about supporting local businesses, what exactly do we mean?
Is it simply about where the business is located?
Who owns it?
Where its products come from?
Or is it also about what that business contributes to the community around it?
Neighbourly Coffee adds another dimension to that conversation.
It's a Fredericton business.
It provides a place to gather.
It creates economic activity.
And it's connected to an organization working to address housing instability and barriers to employment.
That doesn't make it the only local business doing meaningful work.
Fredericton has plenty of businesses that quietly support community organizations, create jobs and contribute in ways that don't always receive public attention.
But Neighbourly Coffee makes the connection between business and community particularly visible.
What if we measured the success of more businesses not only by what they sell, but also by what they make possible?
That's a conversation worth having.
In real estate, we often describe a community through its physical features.
The homes.
The streets.
The parks.
The schools.
The distance to downtown.
Those details matter, of course.
But they don't tell the whole story.
A neighbourhood isn't simply a collection of buildings.
It's the relationships that develop between the people who live, work and spend time there.
It's the places where people naturally encounter one another.
The café where you recognize someone from last week.
The neighbour who stops to say hello.
The familiar faces that gradually make an unfamiliar place feel like home.
And that's part of what makes the 12 Neighbours model so interesting.
The homes provide a physical foundation.
But the wider goal is to create opportunities for belonging, connection and participation.
Neighbourly Coffee helps open that community to the rest of Fredericton.
It's a reminder that good neighbourhoods need more than good houses.
They need places where people can connect.
New neighbourhoods have developed.
Businesses have opened.
Our population has changed.
And conversations about housing, affordability and homelessness have become increasingly important.
Those conversations aren't always comfortable.
Nor should we pretend that everyone agrees on the solutions.
Building housing requires resources, planning and long-term support.
Employment programs require meaningful opportunities and sustainable businesses.
And creating a sense of belonging takes more than good intentions.
But it's worth paying attention when people and organizations try something different.
Marcel LeBrun's journey from technology entrepreneur to community builder is one part of this story.
The people who live and work within 12 Neighbours are another.
And the Fredericton residents who visit Neighbourly Coffee, share a table, support the business and become part of its everyday life have a role, too.
Because community isn't something one person can create on behalf of everyone else.
It's something people build together.
Often in ordinary ways.
One conversation.
One opportunity.
One shared space.
And yes, sometimes one cup of coffee.
Not because you need to make a grand gesture.
But because it's a chance to experience a local business with an interesting story, enjoy something delicious and see a different approach to community-building in action.
You'll find Neighbourly Coffee at 12 Neighbourly Way on Fredericton's north side.
And the next time you're there, consider what makes a place feel welcoming.
Is it the atmosphere?
The people?
The sense that everyone belongs?
Or simply having somewhere you can sit down, relax and feel comfortable?
I'd love to hear your thoughts:
Should more businesses play an active role in addressing community challenges, or is their most important contribution simply creating good jobs and providing great service?
And what Fredericton business makes you feel most connected to the community?
It's an interesting conversation.
And maybe a good one to have over coffee.
Sharing the people, places and stories that make Fredericton feel like home.
One Fredericton coffee shop is serving something that doesn't come in a cup.
There's something wonderfully familiar about a neighbourhood coffee shop.
The sound of an espresso machine.
The smell of freshly baked bread.
A conversation happening at the next table that you're absolutely not listening to.
Well... not intentionally.
Coffee shops have become part of the rhythm of Fredericton. They're where we meet friends, catch up on work, enjoy a quiet morning or simply find an excuse to get out of the house.
But tucked into a community on Fredericton's north side is a café with a story that goes considerably deeper than the coffee.
It's called Neighbourly Coffee.
And while you can certainly visit for a cappuccino, breakfast or something freshly baked, understanding what happens beyond the counter makes the experience a little more meaningful.
Because Neighbourly Coffee isn't simply a café with a charitable connection.
It's part of an ambitious effort to rethink what community can look like.
And the story begins with a familiar Fredericton name.
💡 From Technology to Tiny Homes: The Marcel LeBrun Story
If you've followed Fredericton's technology industry over the years, you may recognize the name Marcel LeBrun.A University of New Brunswick graduate, LeBrun was the CEO and co-founder of Radian6, the Fredericton-based social media monitoring company acquired by Salesforce in 2011 in a deal valued at nearly $350 million.
It was a remarkable business success story.
The kind that helped demonstrate that world-class technology companies could be built right here in New Brunswick.
But LeBrun's next major undertaking would look very different.
Instead of building another technology company, he turned his attention to one of the most difficult challenges facing communities across Canada.
Homelessness.
Not an easy problem.
Not a problem with a single cause.
And certainly not one that can be solved simply by building a few houses and hoping everything works out.
But LeBrun believed there was an opportunity to approach the issue differently.
That thinking eventually led to 12 Neighbours, a Fredericton charitable organization focused on creating stable housing, building relationships and helping people pursue greater independence.
And here's where the story becomes especially interesting.
The idea wasn't just to provide a roof.
It was to create a place where people could rebuild connections, discover opportunities and feel part of a community.
🏡 Twelve Neighbours. Ninety-Six Homes. One Bigger Idea.
The 12 Neighbours Community began taking shape on Fredericton's north side in 2021.Its first major undertaking was an ambitious one: creating a neighbourhood of small, permanent homes for people who had experienced homelessness.
By spring 2024, the original community of 96 micro-homes had been completed.
But the vision extended beyond the houses themselves.
Because housing is essential, but having a home doesn't automatically solve every challenge someone may be facing.
People also need opportunities.
Connections.
A sense of purpose.
And the ability to participate in the life of the wider community.
That thinking is reflected in the organization's approach to social enterprise.
Rather than treating employment and community participation as separate issues, 12 Neighbours has worked to connect them.
Which brings us back to the coffee.
☕ A Coffee Shop With a Different Business Model
Neighbourly Coffee first opened as a pop-up café at Picaroons Roundhouse in July 2023.It was an opportunity to introduce the concept, develop the business and create employment and training experiences.
But the long-term plan was always bigger.
In June 2024, Neighbourly Coffee opened its permanent café at the 12 Neighbours Community.
And suddenly, something interesting happened.
People who might never otherwise have visited the community had a reason to come.
Not for a formal presentation.
Not for a fundraising event.
Not because they were being asked to solve a problem.
But because they wanted coffee.
Or lunch.
Or a loaf of bread.
And sometimes, the simplest invitation is the most effective.
Come in. Have something good to eat. Stay awhile.
The café became a meeting point between the 12 Neighbours Community and the wider Fredericton community.
A place where people could work, learn, meet and interact.
That's what makes the business model different.
The coffee matters.
The food matters.
The customer experience matters.
But the opportunity created through the business matters, too.
🥐 The Coffee Still Has to Be Good
Now, there's an important point worth making.A business with a meaningful mission still has to give people a reason to return.
Good intentions don't automatically make a good latte.
Neighbourly Coffee has embraced specialty coffee, handcrafted food and fresh baking as central parts of its identity.
Its offerings include espresso drinks, breakfast and lunch options, sourdough bread and pastries.
The business also offers catering, wholesale services and space bookings.
And it has developed a coffee club designed to bring enthusiasts together through tastings, workshops and other opportunities to learn.
That's an interesting combination.
A café built around a social purpose that's also taking its coffee seriously.
Because the goal isn't simply to attract customers who feel good about supporting a cause.
It's to create a place people genuinely enjoy visiting.
A place they might recommend because the coffee was excellent.
Or because they enjoyed breakfast.
Or because it was simply a comfortable place to meet someone.
The mission gives the café meaning. The experience gives people a reason to come back.
And a successful social enterprise needs both.
🤝 Employment, Confidence and the Value of Being Needed
One of the most compelling parts of the Neighbourly Coffee story is its connection to employment.The café was created in part to provide opportunities for people facing barriers to entering or re-entering the workforce.
And those barriers can be substantial.
Imagine trying to maintain a job when you don't have stable housing.
Or when your daily life is consumed by the uncertainty of where you'll sleep.
Now imagine having a secure place to live, support from a community and an opportunity to develop workplace skills.
That doesn't mean every challenge disappears.
But it can create a very different starting point.
The café offers opportunities to develop practical skills, gain experience, earn income and build relationships.
And those benefits can extend beyond the workplace.
There's dignity in contributing.
Confidence in learning something new.
And value in knowing your work matters to other people.
Of course, no single coffee shop can solve homelessness or remove every barrier to employment.
It would be unfair to place that expectation on one business.
But Neighbourly Coffee offers a useful example of what can happen when employment opportunities are designed to be part of a larger community-building effort.
🌱 What Makes a Business Truly Local?
Here's a question I've been thinking about.When we talk about supporting local businesses, what exactly do we mean?
Is it simply about where the business is located?
Who owns it?
Where its products come from?
Or is it also about what that business contributes to the community around it?
Neighbourly Coffee adds another dimension to that conversation.
It's a Fredericton business.
It provides a place to gather.
It creates economic activity.
And it's connected to an organization working to address housing instability and barriers to employment.
That doesn't make it the only local business doing meaningful work.
Fredericton has plenty of businesses that quietly support community organizations, create jobs and contribute in ways that don't always receive public attention.
But Neighbourly Coffee makes the connection between business and community particularly visible.
What if we measured the success of more businesses not only by what they sell, but also by what they make possible?
That's a conversation worth having.
🏘️ A Different Way to Think About Neighbourhoods
There's also a fascinating connection here to how we think about neighbourhoods.In real estate, we often describe a community through its physical features.
The homes.
The streets.
The parks.
The schools.
The distance to downtown.
Those details matter, of course.
But they don't tell the whole story.
A neighbourhood isn't simply a collection of buildings.
It's the relationships that develop between the people who live, work and spend time there.
It's the places where people naturally encounter one another.
The café where you recognize someone from last week.
The neighbour who stops to say hello.
The familiar faces that gradually make an unfamiliar place feel like home.
And that's part of what makes the 12 Neighbours model so interesting.
The homes provide a physical foundation.
But the wider goal is to create opportunities for belonging, connection and participation.
Neighbourly Coffee helps open that community to the rest of Fredericton.
It's a reminder that good neighbourhoods need more than good houses.
They need places where people can connect.
❤️ Living Fredericton: What Kind of Community Are We Building?
Fredericton has grown and changed considerably over the years.New neighbourhoods have developed.
Businesses have opened.
Our population has changed.
And conversations about housing, affordability and homelessness have become increasingly important.
Those conversations aren't always comfortable.
Nor should we pretend that everyone agrees on the solutions.
Building housing requires resources, planning and long-term support.
Employment programs require meaningful opportunities and sustainable businesses.
And creating a sense of belonging takes more than good intentions.
But it's worth paying attention when people and organizations try something different.
Marcel LeBrun's journey from technology entrepreneur to community builder is one part of this story.
The people who live and work within 12 Neighbours are another.
And the Fredericton residents who visit Neighbourly Coffee, share a table, support the business and become part of its everyday life have a role, too.
Because community isn't something one person can create on behalf of everyone else.
It's something people build together.
Often in ordinary ways.
One conversation.
One opportunity.
One shared space.
And yes, sometimes one cup of coffee.
☕ Your Next Coffee Break Could Start a Bigger Conversation...
If you haven't visited Neighbourly Coffee, it might be worth adding to your Fredericton coffee-shop list.Not because you need to make a grand gesture.
But because it's a chance to experience a local business with an interesting story, enjoy something delicious and see a different approach to community-building in action.
You'll find Neighbourly Coffee at 12 Neighbourly Way on Fredericton's north side.
And the next time you're there, consider what makes a place feel welcoming.
Is it the atmosphere?
The people?
The sense that everyone belongs?
Or simply having somewhere you can sit down, relax and feel comfortable?
I'd love to hear your thoughts:
Should more businesses play an active role in addressing community challenges, or is their most important contribution simply creating good jobs and providing great service?
And what Fredericton business makes you feel most connected to the community?
It's an interesting conversation.
And maybe a good one to have over coffee.
Sharing the people, places and stories that make Fredericton feel like home.