Team Lead ESPRO coffee store Toronto - in The Beaches
About the role
Store Lead — ESPRO Coffee Bar
Toronto (The Beaches) · Full-time, on-site · CAD $62,000–$68,000 base + performance bonus
This is not a café manager job
ESPRO Coffee Bar is the retail lab for DKK Brands, the company behind ESPRO, LIITON, and PROCLAD. On the surface it’s a neighbourhood coffee bar in the Beaches. Underneath, it’s where we’re building something new: a space where great coffee, premium product, live content, and personalization come together in one store — and where we prove the model we intend to scale.
We’re hiring one person to run it and build it. You’ll own the store day to day, and you’ll own the mandate to turn it into a destination: retail that actually sells, a laser engraving and personalization station, and a space built for TikTok Live and creator content. We set the direction. You make it real.
What you’ll actually do
Run the store: scheduling, training, quality, cost control, and a bar you’d be proud to be served at. You’ll work the bar during morning peaks — this is a hands-on role. Build the retail engine: merchandising, product placement, bundles, and a team that converts coffee drinkers into product owners. Retail mix is your headline number. Launch and run the personalization station: engraving sessions, gifting moments, corporate and event orders. Make the space content-ready: coordinate live streams and creator sessions, keep the store camera-ready, program events that give people a reason to come in. You’re the operator, not the on-camera talent. Own your numbers: revenue, average ticket, retail mix, attachment, labour. You’ll review them with the founder and adjust fast.
Who we think you are
You come from premium or experiential retail — think Aesop, Arc’teryx, Lululemon, Apple, Nespresso, or a sharp independent — or from hospitality with a genuine retail track record. You’ve personally sold product and carried a sales target, and you liked it. You can run a floor: hire, train, schedule, and hold a standard without drama. You’re fluent in TikTok and Instagram as a user and organizer. You can set up a live, brief a creator, and spot what makes a space work on camera. You’re entrepreneurial. Given a store, a budget, and a target, you’d rather build the answer than be handed a playbook. Coffee experience is a plus, not a requirement. We can teach you to dial in espresso. We can’t teach retail instinct.
What you get
Base salary depending on experience, plus a performance bonus tied directly to store results — we’ll walk you through exactly how it works in the first interview. A real mandate with a founder who moves fast, not a district manager three layers up. The chance to build the flagship playbook for a concept we plan to open across Canada. Get this store right and you’re writing the model, not following one.
How to apply
Email jerl@dkkbrands.com with your resume and a short note answering one question: tell us about something you built or grew in a store — a number you moved and how you moved it. No cover letters. The note matters more than the resume.
About DKK Brands
Welcome to DKK Brands, we're committed to more than just making great products - we're dedicated to a process that ensures every product we bring to market is truly exceptional. As the proud owner of Espro, Liiton, and VIVA, we are designing, manufacturing, distributing a family of brands and selling directly to you. Our journey starts with rigorous product-market validation, followed by a Kickstarter launch to gather real feedback and build a community of supporters. We then leverage Amazon reviews to fine-tune our offerings, rolling out products across B2B and B2C channels to reach the right customers. Every day, we evaluate our lineup, swiftly eliminating underperforming items to ensure that everything we offer delivers on our promise of quality and innovation.
But what truly brings us joy is seeing the happy faces of people receiving one of our products as a gift, knowing they're getting something that's among the best in its category. It's moments like these that remind us why we're so passionate about what we do.
Similar Jobs
Team Lead ESPRO coffee store Toronto - in The Beaches
About the role
Store Lead — ESPRO Coffee Bar
Toronto (The Beaches) · Full-time, on-site · CAD $62,000–$68,000 base + performance bonus
This is not a café manager job
ESPRO Coffee Bar is the retail lab for DKK Brands, the company behind ESPRO, LIITON, and PROCLAD. On the surface it’s a neighbourhood coffee bar in the Beaches. Underneath, it’s where we’re building something new: a space where great coffee, premium product, live content, and personalization come together in one store — and where we prove the model we intend to scale.
We’re hiring one person to run it and build it. You’ll own the store day to day, and you’ll own the mandate to turn it into a destination: retail that actually sells, a laser engraving and personalization station, and a space built for TikTok Live and creator content. We set the direction. You make it real.
What you’ll actually do
Run the store: scheduling, training, quality, cost control, and a bar you’d be proud to be served at. You’ll work the bar during morning peaks — this is a hands-on role. Build the retail engine: merchandising, product placement, bundles, and a team that converts coffee drinkers into product owners. Retail mix is your headline number. Launch and run the personalization station: engraving sessions, gifting moments, corporate and event orders. Make the space content-ready: coordinate live streams and creator sessions, keep the store camera-ready, program events that give people a reason to come in. You’re the operator, not the on-camera talent. Own your numbers: revenue, average ticket, retail mix, attachment, labour. You’ll review them with the founder and adjust fast.
Who we think you are
You come from premium or experiential retail — think Aesop, Arc’teryx, Lululemon, Apple, Nespresso, or a sharp independent — or from hospitality with a genuine retail track record. You’ve personally sold product and carried a sales target, and you liked it. You can run a floor: hire, train, schedule, and hold a standard without drama. You’re fluent in TikTok and Instagram as a user and organizer. You can set up a live, brief a creator, and spot what makes a space work on camera. You’re entrepreneurial. Given a store, a budget, and a target, you’d rather build the answer than be handed a playbook. Coffee experience is a plus, not a requirement. We can teach you to dial in espresso. We can’t teach retail instinct.
What you get
Base salary depending on experience, plus a performance bonus tied directly to store results — we’ll walk you through exactly how it works in the first interview. A real mandate with a founder who moves fast, not a district manager three layers up. The chance to build the flagship playbook for a concept we plan to open across Canada. Get this store right and you’re writing the model, not following one.
How to apply
Email jerl@dkkbrands.com with your resume and a short note answering one question: tell us about something you built or grew in a store — a number you moved and how you moved it. No cover letters. The note matters more than the resume.
About DKK Brands
Welcome to DKK Brands, we're committed to more than just making great products - we're dedicated to a process that ensures every product we bring to market is truly exceptional. As the proud owner of Espro, Liiton, and VIVA, we are designing, manufacturing, distributing a family of brands and selling directly to you. Our journey starts with rigorous product-market validation, followed by a Kickstarter launch to gather real feedback and build a community of supporters. We then leverage Amazon reviews to fine-tune our offerings, rolling out products across B2B and B2C channels to reach the right customers. Every day, we evaluate our lineup, swiftly eliminating underperforming items to ensure that everything we offer delivers on our promise of quality and innovation.
But what truly brings us joy is seeing the happy faces of people receiving one of our products as a gift, knowing they're getting something that's among the best in its category. It's moments like these that remind us why we're so passionate about what we do.