Brown Bag Coffee Roasters

What Brown Bag Coffee Roasters does

Brown Bag Coffee Roasters (BBCR) is a privately held, single-roastery specialty coffee company founded in 2017 and headquartered at 595 Rue de Vernon, Unit 7, Gatineau, Quebec. The firm roasts and retails single origin coffees from named producer relationships in Brazil (Fazenda Cachoeira, via Orange Brown importer), Colombia (Mujeres Cafeteras de Santander cooperative), Ethiopia, Guatemala, Sumatra, Tanzania, and Yemen, alongside three house blends (Espresso, Dark Roast, Signature). Its roastery operation is SCA-aligned with Agtron Gourmet Scale measurement and includes specialty processing capabilities such as Swiss Water Process decaffeination, slow-steeped cold brew concentrates (regular and decaf, 1L and 4L formats), and limited-edition barrel aging using Canadian whiskey barrels.

The product catalog extends beyond green coffee into ready-to-drink 10L Bag-in-Box formats for both cold brew and an iced Assam-mint tea blended with Genuine Tea Co., plus accessories (AeroPress, Hario pour-over kits, CEADO Leon 800 and MILLAB E01 grinders, filters, cleaners), branded merchandise (campfire mug, coasters, chocolate), and digital gift cards in fixed $25-$200 denominations. All beans are roasted to order, with same-day local delivery within approximately 30km of the roastery and pickup available on site.

The business model is predominantly direct-to-consumer via a Shopify storefront (bbcr.ca) shipping across Canada (free over $59 CAD) and the United States (free over $79 USD). BBCR layers in a subscribe-and-save subscription offering 20% off with 15- to 90-day delivery cadence, alongside a wholesale B2B channel serving cafes, restaurants, offices, and fundraising organizations, and a partner network for distributing non-pasteurized cold brew products. Marketing is conducted through organic social (Facebook, Instagram), content (BBCR 101 blog), email, and Judge.me verified reviews (4.84 stars across 1,038 reviews).

Name

Brown Bag Coffee Roasters

Legal name

Brown Bag Coffee Roasters

Website

https://bbcr.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brown Bag Coffee Roasters is a privately held Gatineau, Quebec specialty coffee roastery selling direct trade single origin and blended coffees, cold brew concentrates, and accessories to consumers across Canada and the United States via Shopify ecommerce, with subscription, wholesale, and local delivery channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roastery

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roastery
• Single origin coffee
• Cold brew concentrate
• Direct trade coffee
• Coffee subscription service

Headquarters

HQ city

Gatineau

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Coffee Product Sales: Direct sales of roasted coffee beans (single origin and blends), cold brew concentrate, and ready-to-drink products. Offers whole bean and ground options across multiple roast levels.
2. Subscription Service: Subscribe and save program offering 20% discount with flexible delivery intervals (15, 21, 30, 45, 60, or 90 days) for recurring coffee orders
3. Equipment and Accessories: Sales of coffee brewing equipment including AeroPress, Hario Pour Over kits, grinders (CEADO Leon 800, MILLAB E01), and accessories
4. Wholesale B2B: Wholesale accounts for cafes, restaurants, offices, and fundraising organizations through dedicated signup and quick order forms
5. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in denominations of $25, $50, $100, $150, $200 with email delivery
6. Merchandise: Branded merchandise including BBCR chocolate, campfire mugs, and coasters

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brown Bag Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roastery based in Gatineau, Quebec, that fluid-bed roasts single origin and blend Arabica coffee beans to order. It sells roasted coffee, cold brew concentrates and ready-to-drink cold brew, plus brewing equipment, accessories, merchandise, and gift cards through its own Shopify e-commerce site, local delivery, roastery pickup, and B2B wholesale channels.

Product overview

Brown Bag Coffee Roasters (BBCR) is a specialty coffee roastery based in Gatineau, Quebec, offering a diverse portfolio of products. The core offering centers on single-origin coffees from multiple countries (Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Sumatra, Tanzania, Guatemala, Yemen) and signature house blends (Espresso, Dark Roast, Signature), along with a Swiss Water Process decaf line. BBCR's cold brew program includes concentrates (regular and decaf) in 1L and 4L formats, plus ready-to-drink formats in 10L Bag-in-Box for both cold brew and ice tea. Supporting accessories include brewing equipment (AeroPress, AeroPress Go, Hario Pour Over Kit, Cafflano Kompact), professional grinders (CEADO Leon 800, MILLAB E01), filters, and cleaning supplies. The company also offers merchandise (BBCR Chocolate, Campfire Mug, Coasters) and digital gift cards. All products are roasted to order and available for local delivery, pickup, and partner network distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Colombia Single Origin

Quantifiable outcome

• Customer satisfaction rating: 4.84 stars based on 1,038 verified reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chin ChinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent specialty coffee roaster from National Capital Region participating in BBCR COLLAB product. Four regional roasters united to create a comparative tasting experience using same Ecuador single origin beans processed with different roasting styles.
• CloudForestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee roaster sourcing from AACRI cooperative of 200 family farms in Ecuador Intag region as alternative to mining development. Participated in BBCR COLLAB product featuring Ecuador single origin beans with different roasting approaches.
• KafiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent specialty coffee roaster from National Capital Region participating in BBCR COLLAB product featuring Ecuador single origin beans roasted by each roaster to showcase different expressions.
• Genuine Tea Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 10L BIB ready-to-drink ice tea product. BBCR uses cold brew technique and process to produce exclusive blend of Assam tea and mint tea with lemonade. Product available through roastery pickup, local delivery, and partner network.
• Orange BrowncoreTechnology or IntegrationGreen coffee importer facilitating direct trade relationships between BBCR and Brazilian coffee farmers. Enables traceability and transparency from farm to cup, working with Fazenda Cachoiera and the Barbosa family in Cerrado Mineiro region.
• Mujeres Cafeteras de SantandercoreTechnology or IntegrationWomen's coffee cooperative in Colombia consisting of 200 women from 8 municipalities. Supplies BBCR's Colombia single origin coffee, supporting women's economic empowerment in the coffee sector.
• AACRI CooperativecoreTechnology or Integration200-family farm cooperative in Ecuador Intag region created as alternative to mining development. Supplies beans for COLLAB product through CloudForest importer partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Counter Culture Coffee: US specialty roaster with strong direct trade program, sustainability focus, and training/education services for wholesale accounts. Comparable ethos and B2B-heavy channel mix.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Pioneering US specialty roaster known for Direct Trade certification, single-origin program, and cafe/wholesale model. Closest ethos match to BBCR's transparent sourcing story.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: US specialty roaster with strong DTC, subscription, RTD cold brew, and cafe footprint. Notable competitor specifically in cold brew where BBCR is constrained by shipping limitations.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Large US specialty coffee company with DTC subscription, extensive cafe network, and proprietary cold brew. Defines the upper end of the competitive set BBCR operates in.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Major US specialty roaster with direct trade sourcing, cold brew program, broad DTC and wholesale channels. Represents the scaled-up version of BBCR's model and a key competitive benchmark.

Emerging players

• Square Mile Coffee Roasters: UK-based specialty roaster with strong direct trade sourcing, subscription DTC, and London wholesale. Comparable craft positioning but in a different geography — useful international benchmark.

Direct peers

• Pilot Coffee Roasters: Toronto-based specialty roaster with direct trade sourcing, multi-origin single-origin lineup, and DTC + wholesale B2B model. Highly comparable Canadian specialty roaster serving cafes, offices, and home consumers.
• Detour Coffee Roasters: Ontario-based specialty roaster with single-origin focus, direct trade relationships, and DTC + wholesale. Comparable scale and artisanal positioning to BBCR.
• Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters: Calgary-based specialty roaster focused on direct trade, transparency, and SCA standards, with DTC e-commerce, wholesale, and cafe presence. Closest Canadian analogue to BBCR's positioning.
• 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters: Vancouver-based specialty roaster with direct trade sourcing, multiple cafes, and wholesale distribution across Western Canada. Comparable product portfolio, channels, and craft-coffee positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brownbagcoffeeroasters
• Instagraminstagram.com/brownbagcoffeeroasters
• Xx.com/bbcrottawa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brownbagcoffee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brown Bag Coffee Roasters