A small, independent coffee shop in an east-end business park serves as an unofficial embassy for Kingston.
Just off Innovation Drive, not far from where the 401 meets Highway 15, you’ll find Patriam Coffee, an independent coffee shop now marking its fifth year in business. Ksenia Knyazeva launched the first iteration of Patriam as a mobile coffee bar on the other side of town. In time, Patriam relocated to its present location, sharing a space with Fine Balance Brewing.
Patriam brings together Ksenia’s experience working in a coffee shop and a bakery, along with her personal values of sustainability and community building. She sources all her ingredients locally where possible, and otherwise within Canada.
“Even our takeout cups are made in Canada,” she says. “We use Limestone Creamery milk, we use locally roasted coffee, and our fall menu featured a cider made by a local organic orchard in Inverary. Our winter menu features Limestone Creamery eggnog in our seasonal eggnog latte. Through the café, I have an opportunity to introduce people to amazing products – sometimes they see Limestone Creamery glass bottles and don’t know about this great local business, so I get to tell them about it.”
And it’s not just locals stopping in for lunch or a warmup. Patriam’s proximity to the highway makes it a prime stop for motorists passing through and looking to try something different.
“It creates a conversation and gives me an opportunity to give the whole Kingston spiel,” Ksenia says.
Patriam offers a wide array of specialty drinks made with their in-house unique syrup and spice blends. They also make sandwiches using locally sourced meats, cheeses, sauces, and breads. In 2024, they started selling chocolate bars made in Kingston at Mac’s Chocolate and Bakeshop with a pair of Patriam-inspired flavours: cardamom latte and a white chocolate chai with Patriam chai spice mix.
That chai spice mix is something Ksenia intends to bring to market in the near future so her customers can make their own chai at home. She has also introduced a line of sparkling beverages with flavours like Lemon Ginger Sparkling Americano. The beverages, made with locally sourced ingredients, are sold in containers featuring artwork by local artists.
The name Patriam is a nod to Ksenia’s focus on local ingredients and working close to the land – it’s a Latin word meaning homeland. But it’s also an acknowledgement of Ksenia’s personal journey, having immigrated to Canada in 2010 from Russia.
“I was on a trip from Toronto to Ottawa when I first stopped in Kingston, and that inspired the move,” she said. “I saw the slower pace of life, a place where people are a bit more connected. Kingston was perfect.”
