Evie Chapman Blogger: Build-Outs Of Summer: Saint-Henri Micro-Torréfacteur In Montreal, Quebec

Saint-Henri Micro-Torréfacteur Montreal Quebec

The Build-Outs of Summer are heading north of to the border to one of the most exciting food cities in North America. We are of course speaking of Montreal, home of the brand new headquarters for Café Saint-Henri Micro-Torréfacteur. With five locations already established, Saint-Henri is a known commodity in Montreal, and with their new mega roastery/cafe/office space/lab/warehouse they are looking to cement their place on the coffee map.

And this a space this newest edition, Saint-Henri will certainly be hard to forget. The HQ includes, but is not limited to: a vertical greenhouse (with accompanying purple lights), a boardroom that looks like something from a Wes Anderson movie, and one of only 13 Kees van der Westen La Stomboli‘s ever made. So grab one of the 60+ seats and check out the all new headquarters for Saint-Henri Micro-Torréfacteur in Montreal, Quebec.

As told to Sprudge by JF.

For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?

Café Saint-Henri Micro-Torréfacteur started roasting in 2011, offering for the first time to Montrealers coffees that were sourced directly at the farm, as well as coffee from specialty importers and cooperatives. We’ve been training the general public since our first year, offering different classes such as “seed-to-cup” and “espresso at home.” Our company is present on the retail front, with six cafes, which also help us understanding first-hands the needs of our wholesales partners. We have two roasting facilities: one in Montreal and one in Quebec City. Through our website, we also ship directly to consumers in Canada and the U.S.

Can you tell us a bit about the new space?

Situated strategically at the crossing of four upcoming neighborhoods (Mile-End, Mile-Ex, Villeray and Rosemont), the new installations serve as the company’s new headquarters.

In addition to a large 60+ seating cafe equipped with the latest coffee technology and some vertical greenhouses (which feeds our kitchen/menu), a coffee laboratory and a room dedicated to coffee classes is consolidating Saint-Henri Micro-Torrefacteur’s role as both a pioneer and a leader amongst the North American coffee roasters which are focusing on specialty coffee.

The new roasting facility, the office spaces (finally!), our lab, and a large warehouse all under one roof (8500 sq. ft.) will help increase quality control and production, which we hope will lead to open new commercial accounts across Canada and the U.S. northeast coast.

What’s your approach to coffee?

Since our opening in 2011, we’ve kept the same well-balanced recipe for our green purchasing: the majority of our coffees are selected directly at the farm, while the rest of our offerings are split between some private imports and some cooperative-based coffees.

Trying to take care of both ends of the coffee chain, Saint-Henri is offering social/health benefits to its employees, as well as a relaxed working environment.

Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?

Yes!
A Mavam three-group (dipped in zinc—a first at MAVAM—to match our cafe :)
A Weber EG-1 grinder for pour-overs and some lab usage
Classic Mahlkönig EK-43 and Curtis batch brewers
In our lab, a piece of history: a Kees van der Westen La Stomboli, one of 13 that were made in 1993! This was KVDW’s first attempt to a “series” of machines. We’ve tweaked it a tiny bit to make sure it wouldn’t show its age too much and be useful in our lab.

What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?

Opened since July 12th, 2018!