Canal
Their passion for coffee, its exotic origins and the people who cultivate it is contagious. Their customers are faithful to their habits but express a growing curiosity towards this universe. Canal allows everyone to find a coffee they love, whether classic or more extravagant, and explore new flavors based on their preferences. Canal wants to comfort, surprise and help develop knowledge about coffee.
What’s Canal’s story?
Their story began with Lili & Oli, a small neighbourhood café alongside Montreal’s Lachine Canal that opened its doors more than 13 years ago. One of the founders, Patrick Hébert, had trained at the famous Café Olimpico, and that Italian influence is evident at Lili & Oli, with its warm welcome and community orientation.
Patrick’s brother Daniel joined the company several years later as a partner. His keen interest in coffee products and market trends, combined with a desire to control the quality of the coffee he served, led him to embrace the world of roasting.
While planning this new line of business, Daniel approached Éric Gingras, a friend of the Hébert brothers and a long-standing customer at Lili & Oli. Éric had recently sold his own business and was seeking a new challenge for his entrepreneurial skills and go-getter spirit.
So it was that these three very dynamic individuals came together in pursuit of adventure and discovery in a fascinating new world. And the idea of Canal was born.
