Producer

St. Paul Roastery is the newest entrant to Thunder Bay’s coffee scene. Owners Cam Reid and Stefan Pakylak roast coffee in-house, offering patrons the unique opportunity to observe the process that transforms green beans into a delicious cuppa.

The two started as home roasters five years ago, using popcorn poppers and mail-order supplies. The inspiration for starting a roastery was multi-faceted—increasing requests from friends for their coffee led to them wanting to share the process, while a passion for the science of roasting coffee made the concept of the roastery-cum-cafe a perfect fit.

The space is airy and relaxed. The eye is drawn to the large Diedrich roaster with its tall stack, while a closer look at the bar-style serving area reveals glass Chemex brewers and beaker-type vessels. A sort of science lab for coffee, the roastery displays the journey taken by beans from roaster to cup. The programming of the roaster (with the output generated onto a USB to track roasts), the optimal filtration of the water, and the use of a gadget (a refractometer) to gauge the amount of total dissolved solids in the finished product—these steps are precise and well-researched. The result is carefully roasted coffee with a range of characteristics and flavours, with close attention paid to the characteristic of the beans.

Reid and Pakylak sample beans from a Minneapolis distributor before deciding which ones they want to roast. They have a deep understanding of quality and a dedication to discovering the greatest potential in each coffee. Before opening, they were roasting an average of 10 kilograms a week, and anticipate tripling that amount now. Along with coffee beans, ground coffee, a range of espresso drinks and hand-brewed filter coffees, they offer speciality coffee equipment for home brewing.