How Walmart Canada is Helping Fire Department Coffee Support Canadian Firefighters

For years, Canadian firefighters asked us the same question …

When is Fire Department Coffee coming to Canada?

Many never bothered to wait for FDC products to hit stores. They ordered online, paying steep shipping costs and import duties to have their favorite coffee delivered across the border.

Today, Fire Department Coffee products are available in hundreds of Walmart Canada locations. And now that growing support is helping FDC expand our charitable mission to benefit sick or injured firefighters in Canada through the Fire Department Coffee Charitable Foundation.

“We have always had support from firefighters and coffee lovers in Canada, even when it wasn’t easy for them to get their hands on our roasts,” FDC Director of Brand Relations Randy James said. “Now Walmart Canada has made it incredibly easy, and it’s helping us give back to even more firefighters during their greatest times of need.”

From Open Call to Walmart Shelves

Our journey into Canada began in October 2024 when Fire Department Coffee participated in Walmart Canada’s Open Call event, an opportunity for brands to share their stories and meet with Walmart leaders in an effort to earn a coveted place on store shelves.

The meeting went well, and FDC received the coveted invitation.

By late 2025, Fire Department Coffee products began appearing in Walmart stores across Canada. Today, our products are available in 380 Walmart locations, making it the exclusive retail partner of FDC in the country.

That initial launch featured seven products, including our Original Medium Roast, Skull-Crushing Espresso, and Donut Shop Coffee, sold in ground coffee and single-serve pods, along with our Skull-Crushing Instant Espresso Coffee.

Now the assortment continues to grow, with Walmart Canada recently adding Salted Caramel Skull-Crushing Instant Coffee as the eighth product in the lineup. 

The expansion reflects the strong demand from Canadian customers who have championed the brand for years, and we’re grateful that we’ve been able to reward them for that support.

Rewarding Longtime Canadian Customers

Long before FDC secured retail distribution in Canada, firefighters and coffee lovers were finding ways to get their hands on our coffee.

That often came at a high cost.

“They had to pay shipping and duty. It was ridiculous,” James said. “For a $12 bag of coffee, they’d pay $30 in shipping and duty. And they were still ordering it.”

That loyalty wasn’t lost on the Fire Department Coffee team.

As the company continued to grow — and as we built a strong relationship with Walmart in the United States — FDC recognized an opportunity to better serve our Canadian customers while strengthening the connection with firefighters across the country.

Walmart Canada helped make that possible by giving FDC a national retail presence and making products easier and more affordable for Canadian customers to purchase.

And it’s opened the door for Fire Department Coffee to extend a vital element of our mission. Our presence in Canada is about more than growing our business. It’s about giving back, the same way we do in the United States.

Lifting Up Canadian Firefighters

Since its founding, Fire Department Coffee has used its success to benefit firefighters through direct donations and collaborations with the Fire Department Coffee Charitable Foundation. The goal is to assist firefighters who have become sick or injured on the job, as well as to empower peer support and mental wellness programs.

As FDC’s presence in Canada has grown, so has the company’s commitment to giving back to firefighters north of the border.

Recently, FDC has committed a $14,080.90 CAD ($10,000 USD) donation to the London Professional Fire Fighters Association in Ontario, providing a tangible example of how the growing enthusiasm for Fire Department Coffee directly contributes to its ability to fund vital firefighter initiatives.

“The support from Walmart Canada is allowing us to make a real difference in the lives of sick or injured firefighters in Canada,” James said. “That’s one of the biggest and best things to come from our presence there.”

Looking Ahead

For many companies, retail expansion is focused on new stores, new products, and new sales milestones.

For Fire Department Coffee, each of those only sets the stage for making a greater impact.

FDC’s charitable funding in the U.S. is based on a portion of the company’s stateside sales. The same will be true in Canada. The more that Canadian customers discover, purchase, and enjoy our coffee, the greater impact the FDC Charitable Foundation can make nationwide.

The early excitement that Canadian Fire Department Coffee fans have demonstrated reveals a vast nation of opportunity — not only to expand the brand but to expand the impact it can make and the good it can do for Canadian firefighters.

It all began with a vital partnership with Walmart Canada.

Now the possibilities know no borders.