Monkland
Monkland Coffee’s mission is to inspire people to enjoy great specialty coffee. They believe that anyone can make a great cup of coffee as long as they have a little patience and the right beans. They offer much more than just a product since they focus their efforts on making the most of the many steps necessary to serve their coffee. There is a lot of work behind the scenes that deserves to be shared. As coffee enthusiasts, they find it essential to share their knowledge.
What’s Monkland’s story?
For several years, Daniel Léger, president and co-founder of Monkland, has had a great interest in coffee and roasting. During his studies, he experimented with roasting his coffee in his parents' oven, then bought some equipment for roasting samples at home. The idea of creating a business to be able to source, roast and offer specialty coffee germinated during this time. It was therefore shortly after the opening of a new roasting cooperative in Montreal, the "Canadian Roasting Society", that he began to realize his dream.
Monkland Coffee is located in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce district of Montreal, and they roast their coffee at the Canadian Roasting Society, which is a roasting cooperative located near the Lachine Canal. They also have several points of sale in Montreal.
Rapid-fire questions!
Why did you choose coffee? Coffee fascinates us all in the team for many very personal reasons! Our roaster Marc is passionate about all complex drinks; coffee, beer, wine or spirits ... The fact of developing aromas while working coffee is an opportunity that he could not pass up!
What’s your "Tt factor"? Our strength lies in the fact that our team is cosmopolitan. Each member of our team has a very different profile and we complement each other very well. Working in a cooperative feeds us even more! In addition, we want to feel close to our community, to represent the Island of Montreal through our coffee.
Your Top 3…:
…in coffee? We are open to all origins, but we particularly like the cafes of Rwanda, we are always looking for a coffee from this country that will make us forget all the others!
…roaster? La Brûlerie des Alpes in Grenoble, France. These are people who have been working for years looking for exceptional coffees and they are very well known in their region! In Canada, my favorite is ESCAPE, they have very good coffees and push their will to be eco-friendly as much as possible!
…mentor or your greatest inspiration? It would be Philippe Gare, the roaster of Daniel's hometown who transmitted his passion for coffee to him. He is someone very inspiring, because he always thinks of perfecting his technique and taking care of the material, while seeking to change the look and taste of consumers to encourage them to consume locally and responsibly.
You are…
Washed or natural? Rather natural coffee for more intense aromas.
Espresso or Filter? Filter, since Daniel learned about V60 extraction, he drinks his coffees almost exclusively with this method. In addition, it is very "ritual" as a method, and it suits him perfectly for his "coffee routine"!