About Us
Where we come from, where we’re headed
About Us
Founded in 2011 in the heart of a former working-class neighborhood, Café Saint-Henri draws its roots from a land steeped in history. This heritage continues to fuel our approach to coffee today: with respect, rigor, and a strong sense of community.
A pioneer of specialty coffee in Quebec, we have strived since our inception to excel for both producers and consumers. Through direct and responsible sourcing, we cultivate lasting relationships with farms that share our values of transparency, quality, and fairness. Each batch we roast bears the unique signature of its origin, revealed through precise expertise and genuine respect for the product.
Our goal is clear: to make specialty coffee accessible and vibrant, without compromising on quality. We believe that every cup can tell a story: the story of the people who grow it, transform it, and passionately share this exceptional product.
How do we buy our coffee?
We believe that buying coffee is much more than just a transaction. Since our very beginnings in 2011, our
goal is to form real partnerships with farmers to ensure we have a long-term positive impact in their communities. This is why we work closely with them to offer them a price that will allow them to ensure their growth.
Every year, we visit some of our producer partners to choose the best batches of coffee from their region. These purchases at the source provide us with unparalleled quality in addition to offering a Premium directly to the producer. This Premium corresponds to a minimum of 2 times the so-called “fair” salary. We are proud to say that over 80% of our purchases are made directly from the source.
Certain regulations make the chain of custody very opaque or even impossible. In these cases, we work with colleagues and private importers to find the best lots.
We work alongside some of the best cooperatives offering transparency and quality. These cooperatives fairly redistribute the profits generated to their members as well as their community, in addition to practicing agriculture without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Roasting
Where science meets craftsmanship
The key to a successful roast lies in eliminating chance and controlling as many parameters as possible, in addition to accurately anticipating the character of each coffee, based on a deep understanding of the terroir.
Here are some of the measures we take to achieve this:
✔ "Grain Pro" bagging or vacuum sealing of our coffees at the origin, before import and transport.
✔ Bagging in airtight packaging with a one-way valve.
Control
Our settings management:
✔ Moisture content of unroasted beans
✔ Temperature and environmental pressure
✔ Real-time monitoring of roasting curves
✔ Measurement and ratio of post-roasting weight loss
✔ Weekly tasting control supervised by an experienced taster
Community
Education and training
All our efforts to source the best beans and roasting techniques would be in vain
without expert guidance from our baristas in our cafes, at our commercial clients' locations, and for consumers at home.
That's why we've assembled a skilled and specialized training team to ensure the quality of our coffee extraction.
Our Montreal roasting center includes a mini-laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment dedicated to training.
Because the quality of coffee service undeniably affects the taste of the coffees consumed, we are tackling our educational mission on all fronts of the service chain; from the home to our commercial partners.
