The Best Coffee Roasters Across Canada
Updated: Mar. 28, 2023
There’s no need to venture out for a delicious cup of coffee. Step up your morning routine with fresh beans from some of the best coffee roasters in the country.
The Best Coffee Roaster in Every Province
There are days when nothing beats the cozy feeling of curling up at home with a great cup of coffee. And, thanks to the many incredible coffee roasters across the country, there’s no reason to sacrifice the convenience of your home for flavour. Independent, small-scale coffee roasting is something of an art. In a delicate dance of time and heat, skilled roasters develop intricate flavour profiles for your sipping pleasure. Plus, not only can you buy beans to perfectly tailor your morning brew to your tastes, fewer trips to the café means you’ll likely even save a few bucks in the process. Even better: these best coffee roasters are ready to ship fresh beans right to your door, setting you on an easy path to delicious coffee at home!
Rogue Wave Coffee, Alberta
Your one-stop shop for everything specialty coffee, this Alberta coffee roaster boasts an impressive selection of unique beans for your sipping pleasure. Whether you’re after a natural-processed bean from Ethiopia, or a batch of washed beans from Guatemala, Rogue Wave Coffee has you covered. They also have more exclusive varietals, such as Gesha or the newly-bred Aramosa. Does that sound like mumbo-jumbo to you? Have no fear—the company has a simple online guide that matches flavour preferences to different roasts so you can easily make a selection. They also carry a dizzying array of brewing gear—like a broad selection of pour-over brewers, scales and kettles—for the coffee addict who has everything.
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Pallet Coffee Roasters, British Columbia
Who doesn’t want to open a bag of coffee and get a waft of ocean air in the process? This west-coast coffee roaster has been in the game for 10 years, and has since become a staple for java-sipping Vancouverites in the know. With seven locations around the city, Pallet Coffee Roasters has a definite hold on Vancouver, and their varied lineup of beans ensures there’s a roast to please any coffee lover. In the mood for something smoother? Try a coffee from their “easy going” line, like Benchmark, with notes of milk chocolate, toffee and subtle cherry. More adventurous sippers can look to their “Motive” series, where you’ll find single origin coffees with tasting notes like juicy pineapple and floral candy. You can even sign up for a coffee bean subscription, where Pallet will deliver as much coffee as you need right to your door as often as you’d like, so you’ll never be without your brew.
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Stone City Coffee Roasters, Manitoba
Located about an hour away from Winnipeg, this family-run coffee roaster, consisting of husband and wife duo Jay and Colleen Wohlgemuth and their two young sons, puts an emphasis on the hands-on approach to small-batch roasting. After opening in 2020, Stone City Coffee Roasters quickly pivoted from their initial retail plan to instead offer free local delivery to curious customers (Colleen even offered one of her sons 10 cents per delivery to run orders to the door). These newcomers to Canadian coffee have since made their mark in Manitoba, now offering their beans at a number of local retailers. If you live outside of the province, fear not—online orders are at your service. With a range of roasts catering to medium and darker profiles, lovers of a bold cup will be right at home.
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Down East Coffee Roasters, New Brunswick
Sure, a hot cup of coffee is great, but have you ever tried chocolate-covered coffee beans? What about coffee lip balm? With a 25-year history, Down East Coffee Roasters has established a well-deserved reputation for great Canadian coffee. With over 35 different roasts, coffee obsessives will be shaking with excitement (and over-caffeination) as they explore them all. And for those willing to go the extra mile for a little more control over their daily ritual, Down East even sells green coffee so you can try your hand roasting at home.
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Jumping Bean Coffee, Newfoundland and Labrador
For those looking for something a little different, this quirky maritime roaster boasts an array of interesting flavoured coffee beans, including rum, mint chip, and pralines and cream. Operating on a system of seven core values, Jumping Bean Coffee puts a focus on environmental sustainability and local involvement; the company says their roasting process emits 85 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional roasting methods, and their single-serve pods are completely compostable.
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Java Blend Coffee Roasters, Nova Scotia
Founded in 1938 by Halifax resident Theodore Sideris, this roasting institution has been carried forth by the owners of Sine Coffee Labs and Cortado Tasting Room—two Halifax-based companies with a focus on higher-end specialty coffee. The new team has kept things at Java Blend Coffee Roasters largely the same, offering a variety of affordable roasts, and keeping the consistency that made Java Blend a Nova Scotian staple. Their Breakfast Blend offers hints of hazelnut and soft caramel—perfect for the every-day cup—while fans of dark roasts can opt for the single-origin Sumatra, with notes of cedar, cherry and smoke. There’s even canned cold brew!
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Black Sheep Coffee Roasters, Ontario
Located in the heart of the Niagara region and a stone’s throw from the Welland Canal, owner Lucas Spinosa of Black Sheep Coffee Roasters has been roasting fresh coffee since 2016. The café space has also hosted live music events, as well as coffee info sessions for newcomers and connoisseurs alike. Take a load off with a pastry inside, or grab a drink to go while taking a stroll along the canal trail. Can’t make it to the region? Fear not! Every Black Sheep brew is available on the company’s online store, including their Momentary Collection—a rotating roster of uncommon beans—like a Columbian Pink Bourbon, or Catigua and Catuai varietals—for anyone looking for something new and interesting.
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The Shed Specialty Coffee, Prince Edward Island
Owner Hai Nguyen has made a name for herself in Charlottetown. Care and attention to detail are the ethos of The Shed Specialty Coffee. Each roast comes with a wealth of information about its growing conditions, alongside intricate tasting notes. In the mood for something special? Try a rotating selection of rare beans, like a thermal-washed Columbian Bourbon varietal, with notes of strawberry, plum, chamomile, and a lingering floral aftertaste. Or maybe you need a solution for on-the-go: lucky for you, The Shed has pre-dosed bags for easy brewing.
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Rabbit Hole Roasters, Quebec
Let’s face it: eye-catching design doesn’t necessarily make something better, but it sure is nice to have. The leaping rabbit graphic on Rabbit Hole Roasters‘ bags—reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland—is sure to turn heads, but it’s the coffee that keeps customers coming back. Founders Sophie Moreau and David Lalonde don’t claim to be all-knowing gurus, but their curiosity in all things coffee is echoed in the Rabbit Hole name. Have the itch to try something really different? How about 100 grams of a bean with the sci-fi-esque name “SL34,” with notes of cane sugar, pomegranate, nectarine and hibiscus? If that’s a little too far out for your palate, don’t worry—the roaster also has an array of more typical roasts, as well as instant coffee.
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Road Coffee Co., Saskatchewan
Founder Alisha Esmail often visited coffee-growing countries while on international development projects. She would spend her free time on coffee farms, meeting the farmers and learning about everything that went into the final cup. But she also saw an industry that she felt was fraught with unethical practices, and eventually decided to merge her passion for positive change with delicious coffee. Through an initiative named Road to 1006, Road Coffee Co. seeks to directly support a number of coffee farms in places like South America and Southeast Asia by crowdsourcing micro-loans from customers, along with selling coffee bean subscriptions. Using the proceeds from this initiative, Esmail has been able to work with farmers to foster better working and financial conditions.
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Barren Ground Coffee, Northwest Territories
Winters in the Northwest Territories aren’t for everyone, but having a great cup of coffee certainly helps. Eric Binion opened Barren Ground Coffee after relocating to the territory in 2012 and feeling like something was missing; he wanted a home brew that scratched a particular itch at a time when specialty coffee wasn’t as widespread. Binion initially started roasting his own beans for himself and friends before turning it into a commercial venture in 2017. In the years since, Binion’s efforts as a coffee roaster have won the hearts of not only locals, but Canadians across the country, thanks to a growing online presence.
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Kaapittiaq, Nunavut
Named after the Inuinnaqtun word for “good coffee,” Kaapittiaq makes a point to source beans from Indigenous farmers in Peru. A commercial venture funded by Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq, otherwise known as the Kitikmeot Heritage Society, all proceeds go towards funding the Inuit community. Pride in Inuit culture runs throughout every one of Kaapittiaq’s decisions, like with their Ulu Kaapia blend, named after the knife used by Inuit women. The roast’s delicate, yet bold flavour is meant to be a tribute to women everywhere.
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Bean North Coffee Roasting Co. Ltd., Yukon
Nestled in an idyllic Yukon grove amongst tall trees—and right next to Yukon Wildlife Preserve—sits Bean North Coffee Roasting Co. Ltd. While it’s only open for pickups on Tuesdays and Thursdays, locals have the distinct pleasure of enjoying their coffee while soaking in the beautiful Whitehorse scenery. For the rest of us, the company’s sprawling roast list is available at the click of the mouse. With an emphasis on meeting fair trade goals and maintaining transparent partnerships directly with farmers, conscious consumers never have to worry about the equity of their cup. You might even have luck finding it elsewhere in the country through a list of selected retailers.
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