A new coffee roaster has opened up in Port Alberni.
The new Alberni Premium Coffee Co. started serving up beans in March of this year. Alberni Premium Coffee is a subsidiary of Dog Mountain Brewing and is run out of the same building on Third Avenue, but owners Andy and Robin Richards say it is a “separate entity.”
“Craft beer has a certain type of business model—it’s fun, it’s loud, it’s quirky,” explained Robin. “But coffee drinkers are a different market that we’re trying to target. We wanted to have something non-alcoholic, but still craft-made by us.”
Coffee is an untapped market in Port Alberni, because there are no other roasters in the Alberni Valley. Misty Ridge Coffee Roasting Co. used to be located in Port Alberni, but has since moved down-Island to Duncan. The closest roaster is Bamfield Coffee Company in Bamfield.
“But there are definitely a lot of coffee drinkers in Port Alberni,” Robin laughed.
Andy and Robin found that they had to pivot quickly after opening Dog Mountain Brewing in late 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit just a few months later. With their beer, they had to purchase small-scale canning equipment and began offering deliveries up and down the Island.
“With coffee, there’s been no pressure to go as fast as we did with beer,” said Andy. “It’s like a side gig.”
“We’re catching on quickly because we’ve got that beer experience,” said Robin. “We’re taking a lot of the lessons we learned and applying it over to coffee.”
Between the two of them, Robin is the head brewer and Andy is the coffee roaster.
“Coffee is definitely easier than making beer, because craft beer takes weeks to make one batch,” said Andy. “But they’re both very nuanced. Coffee and beer are very similar in that the raw materials and their origins can have a very drastic impact on the final product that you make.”
The two did a lot of research before they started their coffee journey, tasting a lot of coffee from a lot of different places. They decided to use a fluid bed roaster, as opposed to a drum roaster. With a fluid bed roaster, hot air is blown through the roaster bed, keeping the beans at a consistent temperature throughout the roasting process. It also uses electricity, rather than fossil fuels.
“It’s a gentler process,” explained Andy. “So you don’t get that acidic or burnt bean flavour. You’re really able to develop more complex flavours.”
Their beans come direct-trade from a farmer in Guatemala. Direct trade allows roasters to develop a relationship with their farmers, rather than buying through a catalogue.
“[Coffee harvest] is a high labour intensive process,” said Andy. “So we want to make sure they’re using ethical labour and the farmer is getting what they deserve.”
Alberni Premium Coffee currently offers three different roasts: the light roast Espresso, the medium roast Full City and the dark roast Vienna. Bags can currently be picked up at Dog Mountain Brewing. Local coffee shops Steampunk Café and Grassroots Café also currently serve Alberni Premium Coffee.
Because the brewery doesn’t open until noon, Andy and Robin see an opportunity to open the building early as a breakfast place and coffee shop. They are planning to hire a barista and offer lighter fare, grab-and-go breakfast options along with coffee. They are hoping this will be ready to go by summer 2024.