The one-person
roastery.

1. Instant, every morning

   For years, coffee was just the thing I drank on autopilot. Instant, every morning, no questions asked. It did the job.

2. The espresso machine

   Then I bought an espresso machine, mostly out of curiosity, and started paying attention to what was actually in the cup. That led me to specialty coffee, and I never went back.

   Every new city, every trip, I'd track down the local specialty coffee spot and try the small roasters. Some of them really surprised me. That's how I got hooked.

What happens before the bag?

3. A pan on the stove

   I got my hands on some leftover green beans and started experimenting. A pan on the stove, then the oven, then a small gas burner with a drum. It was rough, but it tasted fresher than anything I'd bought in a store.

4. Friends asked for bags

   Friends tried what I was roasting and actually liked it. Some started asking to buy beans, and I wanted to see what it would take to start something in coffee. That's how Le Petit Roast started: a one-person micro-roastery in Montréal.