Prairie Bean Roastery
Prairie Bean Roastery all started with the simple quest for a good cup of coffee.
There are plenty of wonderful things to be said about Saskatchewan. And now, access to locally-produced, fresh roasted coffee can be added to that list.
In October of 2016, on a trip to Seattle we visited a local coffee roaster and found ourselves in coffee heaven. The fresh roasted coffee was so delicious, we were hooked. We left the roaster with a few pounds of whole bean coffee and the dream of creating our own fresh roasted coffee at home in Saskatchewan, Canada.
When we got home we began to research how to roast our own coffee. Thanks to Google, we learned a simple air-popper popcorn maker could roast green coffee beans. We bought a used air-popper and started roasting the specialty green beans we had ordered. We were able to get the technique fine-tuned, one batch at a time, resulting in a lot of good coffee tasting.
The home coffee we were roasting with the air-popper was better than what we could buy in the grocery store and was well received by our family and friends. However, the method was primitive and time consuming. Only a half cup of green beans were able to be roasted each time and with a air-popper the green coffee roasts too quickly to completely develop the rich flavors each coffee bean has to offer.
By February 2017, we ordered a 3kg roaster from Mill City Roasters and our first of assorted premium green coffee beans weighing 1800 pounds! Once our roaster arrived in March we were able to learn to roast and experiment with the variety of coffee origins we had. Many hours were spent cupping coffee and trying both single origin coffees as well as working on developing proprietary blends. Each unique blend is designed to be smooth and flavorful with no bitter taste, no matter how warm or cold it is when you drink it. Some customers have found our coffee so delicious and balanced that they no longer need to add cream and/or sugar, choosing to now drink their coffee black.
In the early days, we were sharing and selling the coffee blends we were roasting with family and friends, using Ziplocs and a Sharpie. Everyone was so encouraging; we decided to increase our commitment to bring fresh roasted, affordable coffee to a wider customer base.
Our company began working with Gwyn Korpi LLC, Freelance Artist and Designer. Gwyn designed our logo and all our coffee labels. Prairie Bean Roastery’s vision is for our customers to get a glimpse of the beautiful prairie vistas and be able to connect our coffee back to being fresh roasted here in Saskatchewan.
We have now increased our production capabilities to a 12kg roaster. Our new Diedrich Automated IR-12 was ordered in October 2017 and was received in January 2018. This upgraded roaster brings our roasting experience to a new level. Having an eco-friendly, automated roaster results in increased consistency and product quality.
We are proud of our prairie heritage and of our commitment to quality, fresh roasted coffee. If you are interested in carrying our coffee blends, please reach out to us, if you desire to purchase some, visit our online store or visit a location that sells our coffee.
Our goal is to promote awareness of the benefits of fresh roasted coffee and continue to learn more about the amazing coffee bean!