At Poppy’s, delicious food and drinks come with a deeper purpose

At Poppy’s, the juices are fresh-pressed, the syrups are made in-house, and the menu is built on protein-led nutrition. But the Edmonton café, which opened in October 2026, also has a purpose: it employs and supports people starting over. Behind it is Jill Dean, President of Careers in Transition (CIT) and Lives in Transition (LIT), whose work helping individuals train, find employment and overcome hardship was sharpened by the loss of her sister, Nancy, to domestic violence. The café’s name honours her: the poppy is the flower for August, the month of Nancy’s birthday, and a symbol of starting over. With business partner Kareema Batal, Dean created Poppy’s as a place of community and fresh starts. We sat down with Dean to learn more about her sister, her work and the inspiration behind it.

Can you tell us about your sister and how losing her shaped who you are today?

Nancy was truly my best friend. She was nine years older than me, so I really idolized her growing up. She had a big personality, was self-sufficient and strong-willed. She had so much going for her. She made me feel welcome in her life, which wasn’t always easy given our age gap. She was financially independent and had multiple careers prior to meeting her partner, Brad. She really had it all together.

I never even thought about domestic violence before her death, nor did I ever think it would be something that our family would need to talk about. Looking back, I wish we’d had more meaningful conversations about this topic. I wish we hadn’t excused and defended some of Brad’s behaviour. She met someone who she believed was a good person. We all believed that. Over time, it evolved into something incredibly dangerous.

I was working in employment training and placement programs, and when we lost my sister, it really zeroed in on my focus on helping women who have experienced trauma. We started to expand into women’s services, and we considered what women would need when they’re going through something like this — things to remember who they are and [what they needed] to come back to themselves. Unfortunately, during this time we also lost my mom and part of what I wanted was to recreate that warm, welcoming feeling of sitting at the table with my mom and my sister. That was the start of Poppy’s.

What do you hope customers will experience at Poppy’s?

Poppy’s combines a great café with an opportunity for the employees to gain more skills and start fresh. We wanted the branding to be on point, and we knew the food and drinks had to be superb to compete in the Edmonton market. My business partner and our director of programming, Kareema Batal, has a background in food sciences, and she built a menu around protein-led nutrition with savoury sandwiches and soups, plus sweet treats and pastries. We make our own syrups and fresh-pressed juices in-house. I want the café to feel like a place where you can be part of the experience. I want customers to visit not only because the place is beautiful and the food and drinks are fantastic, but also because they want to support a business that’s making a real impact in Edmonton.

What can you tell us about what Poppy’s employees may experience?

Our programs through CIT and LIT are meant to help individuals living with disabilities or complex trauma, or who may need career training to secure employment. We have partners who hire and train our program members, but we have never actually been the employer of individuals in our programs. We wanted to build this café as a new type of program — one where we no longer send them to an employer and hope for the best, but one where we are the employer and where we can continue to support them and be more involved in their development. We know many women coming through our programs may not have many social connections, so when we started dreaming about this, we thought about things women going through the program might experience on a day-to-day basis. We asked ourselves, “How do we create community around them?” Our employees take ownership of their work. They learn barista skills; they juice and bottle products. In the process, they create social connections with customers and fellow employees. The self-confidence that comes from self-sufficiency is an important piece of this. 

We want the café to feel like any other café, so for this to be a success, we need customers to love coming back, and we need our employees to feel supported.

What kind of changes have you witnessed from individuals who have gone through your programs?

I’ve watched individuals enter our programs as people who have been through trauma, have been undervalued, or felt like they didn’t fit in. When we treat that person with respect, and we offer them coursework, counselling, and services such as employment matching, we start to see people’s capacities. I have always been energized by that concept. You see an individual who is worn down, and when we bring them back into the fold, highlight their strengths rather than weaknesses and build off those, they blossom. I love my job, but I really love believing in people.

I remember prior to losing Nancy, in her final months, she was a shell of herself. It’s only with reflection I can see that she was a different person, and I just wasn’t paying attention. Losing my sister taught me so much about trauma and how someone can suffer in silence. Our LIT program serves women who have experienced domestic violence, sexual exploitation, family violence, and trauma in their childhood. Our mandate has become “How do we build programming to really walk people back to themselves?” They are doing all the work. We’re just supporting them, believing in them and creating opportunities.

I couldn’t be there for my sister in the way I wish I had, but now I get to do that for other women. I feel like that’s one of the most important ways for me to honour Nancy. I have many stories I hold close to my heart that prove that if you believe in people, help them feel included, remind them of their strengths, and build supportive networks around them, they can do really amazing things. I feel so proud and blessed to be able to be a part of the journey. I don’t take credit for it, but I do feel so honoured to be able to witness it.

Poppy’s Coffee and Juice is located at #110, 10621 100 Ave NW, Edmonton

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, support is available 24/7 through Alberta’s Family Violence Info Line: call or text 310-1818, or chat online at alberta.ca/SafetyChat. To find a shelter near you, visit sheltersafe.ca.