Who we are...
Our goal is simple: we want to make your every day a better day, cup by cup.
Our journey into coffee roasting was stumbled upon through unplanned life and health events. No one wants to hear about Covid - but something unexpected happened after Jon contracted Covid in February 2020 (long before they even talked about vaccines). Health issues were almost instant and lingered - depression, tinnitus, anxiety attacks, and worst of all seizures. Covid related or just a coincidence we needed to regroup as a family. Doctors and specialists weren't sure what was wrong - he was told to cut caffeine, increase salt, hydrate more. The search to decrease caffeine took us to a lot of unpleasant decaf coffee bags. We started to search for the best full decaf and half-caff blends. We had never heard of half-caff before.
The coffee quest was enjoyable and we started learning a lot about coffee. Then Jon got really ill, lost his license due to blackouts and was diagnosed with epilepsy.
He realized he needed a career change from construction. Roasting coffee seemed natural at this point, and the idea he could help others with their caffeine intake was inspiring even though we now realized his issues weren't due to caffeine, lack of salt or water. We all feel a little better on less caffeine!
We purchased a small second-hand fluid bed roaster and began sourcing high-quality, ethically-sourced coffee beans from around the world. The learning curve was steep! But we quickly discovered that our passion for coffee was contagious, and we loved sharing our knowledge and enthusiasm with our family and friends who encouraged us so much.Â
We have developed a whole range of coffees roasts and coffee blends from beans from all over the world - FairTrade, organic, sustainably sourced and ethically farmed.Â
Life is too short - love those close to you and enjoy time well spent with good coffee - enjoy a union general coffee!Â
When we aren't roasting we are hanging out with our kids and Siamese cats, touring North America in our van, riding bikes, hiking, being outside, playing board games or listening to some great vinyl.
And what's with the squirrel? Well, we are lucky enough to have a lot of wildlife in our backyard but by far the most curious, the most fun, and the craziest are our red squirrels - they often come up to our windows and we just thought - what would they be like on coffee - imagine the speed and craziness. So we salute them for loving life, being curious, and staying active!
All of our coffee is roasted in Union, Ontario - a small village south of St.Thomas and North of Port Stanley - if you blink you will miss it.