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Calgary Herald

Olympian's expanding coffee company helps fellow athletes reach their goals

Article content In 2020, Olympic speedskater Hayden Mayeur opened a mobile coffee company called Hayloft to support his athletic career — and now he's providing flexible work to other athletes with the same goal. Article content 'We've fully rebranded and shifted the business into creating this new atmosphere for athletes to be able to make that extra cash that they need to be able to focus on their Olympic dreams,' Mayeur said. Article content Article content Mayeur started the company out of a 1978 Citroen 2CV truckette, which he converted into an espresso bar in his garage. Since then, he's been catering to corporate and private events across the city. Hayloft has grown to include two carts, and now a barn on wheels that he'll use for festivals and larger events. Article content Article content The expansion means he'll need to grow his team. Mayeur has brought other athletes on board with the goal of giving them the same flexible work opportunities that he's created for himself. Article content 'In amateur sport nowadays, unfortunately, the funding just isn't where it needs to be,' Mayeur said. Athletes get some support from government, but with expensive equipment and fees on top of their day-to-day bills, most rely on sponsorships and part-time jobs to make ends meet. Article content 'Nobody across the entire country in amateur sport is here for money,' he said. 'It's all because we want to represent this country. But at the end of the day, we also have to be able to stay off the streets.' Article content Article content Article content The athletes will be allowed to work around their training and competition schedules, picking up shifts when they're able. Mayeur also offers them higher wages to alleviate some financial stress. Article content Mayeur said he was inspired by the impact Hayloft had on his own career, and wanted to do the same for other athletes. He had previously worked part-time as an ice technician at the Olympic Oval, but struggled to balance it with his training and competition schedules. Article content 'The same year I was able to leave my part-time job, I won a world championship,' Mayeur said. 'I would say a good chunk of that comes down to what the business has been able to do for my work hours, and I want that to be accessible to more and more athletes.'