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Happy Birthday, Blue Chip: the famous UBC café turns 30!

By Iciar Fernandez

It’s safe to say that if you haven’t heard of Blue Chip Cookies, you haven’t been at UBC for too long. From their cookies, to their fresh bagels and hand-crafted organic fair-trade coffees, there is a good chance that you haven’t been able to resist indulging when walking past their always crowded location on the first floor of the Nest. This year Blue Chip turns 30, and to wish them a happy birthday, we want to share some lesser known facts about this cookie heaven!

The original Blue Chip location in the former student Union Building, 1995 (AMS Archives)AMS Blue chip cookies

  • Like all AMS food outlets, Blue Chip profits go back to students in the form of services, clubs, and a better UBC experience.
  • On average, Blue Chip sells one cookie every minute its open.
  • In 2006 PBS Seattle featured Blue Chip on their show Great Chefs highlighting the famous Blue Chip Javanut cookie recipe.
  • Blue Chip wasn’t always the beloved UBC cookie shop. Before they came on the scene Duke’s Cookies held the hearts (or rather, stomachs) of UBC students – so much so, that when the AMS decided that Blue Chip would replace it, protests were held!

Signs protesting the closure of Duke’s (AMS Archives)

  • Besides being delicious, their coffee is exclusively sourced from Spirit Bear coffee company, a certified organic and fair-trade Aboriginal company. So, every time you are enjoying your freshly brewed cup, you are also helping farmers and farm workers from developing countries receive a fair price for their crops and products.
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