Your Mission
Commit to meeting 10 locals in Nanaimo for a coffee & conversation.
Less scrolling. More humans. You bring the curiosity and your favourite mug. We’ll bring the introductions.
1,000 Coffees. One Giant Community Experiment. ☕️
This is the story of why two women started a community experiment in Nanaimo and what they're hoping unfolds, one coffee and conversation at a time.
The Mission
The mission.
The Collective Mission
Facilitate 1,000 coffee & conversations in Nanaimo in one year.
What happens when a whole community decides to meet each other? We want to find out.
The Backstory
How this actually got started.
Two women meet in Vancouver.
One’s a photographer. One’s a tech founder.
Both are starting their businesses. That was ten years ago.
Years later, they meet again at a retreat. They get talking—and an idea starts taking shape:
What if we helped Nanaimo’s people meet each other?
So they decide to collaborate and post a simple question in a local Facebook group:
“Would anyone want to get matched with 10 locals from around Nanaimo for 10 Coffee & Conversations?”
A few weeks later, 100+ people signed up and say yes.
Which is when they looked at each other and thought:
…well, I guess we’re doing a thing now. ☕️
The Faces Behind It
Meet the Founders.
Co-founder · Nanaimo Coffee & Conversations
Maxine
Part economist, part tech founder, part global connector. Maxine has spent the last decade going after one really big mission: facilitating 1 million high-quality conversations between people.
When she's not thinking about connecting humans, you can find her playing beach volleyball, on a road bike, or somewhere up a mountain on two wheels.
- Economist
- Tech founder
- Global connector
- Beach volleyball
- Mountain biking
K
Co-founder · Nanaimo Coffee & Conversations
Katie Bibbs
Katie has worked in university student affairs and non-profit project management. After stops on Bowen Island, in Alberta, Quebec and Lantzville, she moved back to BC to be home, and now lives in Nanoose Bay.
- Student affairs
- Non-profit projects
- Nanoose Bay
THE WHY
Why we're actually doing this.
Modern life has quietly become incredibly disconnected. Not because people don't care about community, but because community now takes intentional effort. Most of us move between work, routines, responsibilities, screens, and the same familiar circles while quietly craving:
More real conversations.More belonging.More unexpected human moments.
This community experiment is our attempt to make that easier because we know with 100% certainty that one good conversation/connection can lead to:
a surprising connection
a fresh perspective
an unexpected opportunity
a really good recommendation
a brand new friendship or social circle
more connection to the place you live
a reminder that the world is full of good people
a new favourite human
At its core, it is about helping a community meet itself.
One coffee and conversation at a time. ☕
☕ So…
Want to Help Us Reach
1,000 Coffees? ☕️
Sign Me Up →10 matches · 10 coffee & conversations · $100
Nanaimo, Nova Scotia · Est. 2026