Fratello Coffee Roasters

Specialties

The journey a coffee bean makes from farm to cup is a long one and at Fratello we pay attention to every detail along the way to make sure that the end product is worthy of our brand. From the way we choose our green beans and interact with the farmers who grow them to the time spent profiling cup after cup in our roastery until we get each varietal just right, we don’t let any of our products hit the market until they meet our strict standards of flavour and quality.

Many consumers have heard the term «Direct Trade,» which refers to the purchasing practices of coffee roasters who choose to form direct relationships with the farmers they buy from. At Fratello, Direct Trade isn’t just a method for acquiring our beans — it’s a philosophy that we use to guide the way we do business.

History

Established in 1985.

«For us, our family, we’ve been in coffee roasting for 29 years or more. This isn’t just work for us. We love this stuff.»

Fratello Coffee Roasters’ history dates all the way back to 1974, when founder Cam Prefontaine first began selling coffee and other hot beverages to offices under the Fontaine Beverages banner. Moving the company and his family to Calgary the next year, Fontaine Beverages operated out of the family’s garage and basement, with Cam’s three young sons watching their dad grow his business. The boys were involved in the coffee business from the start, earning their allowance by helping Dad service old coffee brewers.

Meet the Business Owner

Chris and Russ P.

Business Owner

There passion for the coffee industry dates back to his high school days. Starting out with their father’s company, Custom Gourmet Coffee, Chris and his brother Jason learned the ins-​and-​outs of the coffee business from their dad, before beginning to strike out on their own. In 1991 Chris and older brother Jason founded Espuccino Imports, Southern Alberta’s master distributor for Nuova Simonelli espresso machines. In a period of only three years the brothers built the company into the third largest distributor in North America.

In 1997 Chris and Jason teamed up with their younger brother Russ to purchase Custom Gourmet Coffee from their parents and eventually changed the name to Fratello Coffee. Their goal was to provide high-​quality coffee and support to cafes and coffee drinkers in Calgary and the rest of Western Canada, while helping to usher in a new era in coffee culture.