Happy Belly Group Expanding Smile Tiger Coffee Throughout Ontario

Toronto-based Happy Belly said the deal covers the entire province and adds to an existing franchise commitment of 25 stores in British Columbia. The financial terms of the new development agreement were not disclosed.

Smile Tiger is the first coffee business in the Happy Belly portfolio, which includes concepts in burgers, breakfast and Greek fast-casual, and spans more than 640 locations across Canada.

“As we continue to scale Happy Belly through an asset-light franchising model, extending Smile Tiger’s footprint in Ontario is a natural next step,” Happy Belly Chief Executive Officer Sean Black said in an announcement. 

Black later added, “We are just getting started.”

Smile Tiger in Kitchener. Happy Belly Food Group press release photo.

Happy Belly, which is publicly traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol HBFG, acquired Smile Tiger and its lone location in Kitchener, Ontario, earlier this year in a deal worth approximately $173,000 USD. 

The specialty coffee roaster and wholesale provider with a single location in Kitchener was founded by Tony Rubino and Steve Sittler in 2015.

“Smile Tiger’s in-house roasting capabilities, combined with its consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and white-label offerings, position the brand as a platform asset that can support both its own retail growth and broader coffee needs across the Happy Belly portfolio,” Happy Belly stated. “As the Smile Tiger footprint expands in British Columbia and Ontario, Happy Belly intends to further integrate the brand into its existing breakfast, lunch and dinner concepts.”