I had heard of Ruby years ago, but it wasn’t until last April while attending the Specialty Coffee Expo in Portland where I got the chance to meet their team and enjoy some of their coffee! Let me just say that both impressed me greatly. So much so that I knew I had to keep in touch and find a time to feature them on my blog. Well, on the eve of the next SCA Expo coming up later this month in Chicago, I am thrilled to share the story of Ruby Coffee Roasters as our Coffee Roaster of the Month for April. Huge thanks to Jared Linzmeier (co-founder of Ruby) for being willing to do this. Hey Ruby ..read more

Specialty coffee roasters in the province of Quebec continue to grow both in terms of the number of roasters but also in terms of the quality of coffee being roasted. It has been remarkable to witness this growth over these past few years, and to be able to share about it here on this site. One such roaster from La Belle Province that has caught my attention recently is none other than our Coffee Roaster of the Month for March. Let me introduce you to Cafe Folklore, and have them share their story below. Hey Jean-Christophe, so great to get the chance to connect with you! Help our audience ge ..read more

Today marks 5 years sharing stories of various coffee roasters! WOW. I have always been a storyteller. That was in part why I launched this blog. And I still love telling stories today. One of my favourite stories to tell are those of the incredible specialty coffee roasters that you and I enjoy on a daily basis. And that’s why today, instead of sharing the story of one roaster, I wanted to thank ALL OF THEM. To say thank you to each and every single roaster that said yes to letting me interview them, and to share their story with you–my readers. And I should say a huge THANK YOU to all of yo ..read more

Tucked away in the far northwest corner of Washington State is the city of Bellingham. Not only does this city boast of its geography–being situated between snow-capped mountains and the shores of the Pacific Ocean, this is a city that also boasts of an incredible coffee culture, and some incredible cafes & roasters. I had the privilege growing up not from from Bellingham, and find myself returning there often when I get back to the city I grew up in. During these many visits, one roaster that I have come to really appreciate, and find contributing greatly to the specialty coffee culture ..read more

Coffee truly is a global experience. Recently I was sipping on a coffee, grown in the Yunnan Province of China, roasted in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and brewed in Calgary, Canada. What a journey! It was this naturally processed Catimor variety from Dinosaur Coffee that really opened my eyes to this previously unknown-to-me coffee roaster and got me excited to try more. Fast forward a few more months and after some great conversations with their team, I knew I wanted to share their story on my site. And so I owe a huge deal of thanks to Mohammed Al Nuaimi for being willing to answer my questions and let ..read more

It’s been over a decade since I last made my way to Atlanta. I was impressed back then with the specialty coffee community, and in the years since being there it only appears to have gotten better. On a totally different note, have you ever been in the same place as someone, but had no idea, and didn’t ever bump into each other? That’s what happened this past April while at SCA Expo in Portland. I had a few other friends mention having connected with Garrett (from the Roastery) but our paths never crossed. Fast forward a few months later while searching for a distributor for a different coffe ..read more

Even if Edmonton is only a short 2.5hr drive north of Calgary, I don’t get up there that often as I’d like. But this summer I found myself needing to head up there for the day and that meant only one thing…FINALLY getting the chance to visit Candid Coffee Roasters. I first got connected to Levi Wolthuis a few years back when he’d order coffee through me from my group-buys. So I knew he had great taste in coffee. And after opening up Candid I was so thrilled to finally get the chance to see the space in person. Let me say, it didn’t disappoint. And after my visit, and having enjoyed some amazi ..read more

How fitting, right?! I’ll be honest, it would just seem wrong to feature any other roaster other than Canada’s own, September Coffee for this month’s Coffee Roaster of the Month feature. It just makes sense. But it’s not just because of their namesake that I wanted to share their story. This still relatively new coffee roaster is the passion project of Kyle Rowsell and his wife Natasha, a well-known and greatly-appreciated YouTuber-turned-Coffee Roaster. I’ve known Kyle for a few years now and had the privilege of meeting up with him this past spring in Portland at SCA EXPO. It has been incre ..read more

It was earlier this year that I first heard about Unity Coffee out of Los Angeles, California. Fast forward a few more months at EXPO in Portland I had the chance to run into Meagan (a former team member). We had a great conversation and she mentioned that Unity had a booth over in Roasters Village. I made sure to stop by to drink some coffee and it was incredible. The next day I had the fortuitous chance to brew one of their coffees along with my buddy Caleb at the Cafec Booth. These types of opportunities are what I love, and it connects me on a deeper level with some great coffee roasters ..read more

If you’ve been reading this blog for any sort of time, but especially this past year, you’ve likely caught on by now that I love the coffee culture in Quebec, Canada. And I would argue that it is one of the best in Canada, if not the world! And proof of that fact is that this is the third coffee roaster–this year–that I am featuring on my blog. Why, because I truly am obsessed and impressed with the incredible work coffee roasters are doing to grow their craft, educate their customers, and champion the community. And so, on none other than July 1st, Canada Day, I am thrilled to share the stor ..read more