“Coffee is for us is a lifestyle. There's no child born, there is no wedding, there is no graduation – even there is no funeral – without a coffee ceremony.”
Yonas Gebre was born and raised on a coffee farm in Ethiopia’s Sidamo region, considered to be the birthplace of the beverage.
“Every morning, my mom used to roast the coffee for my dad, and that sound was my alarm clock,” he laughs. “Every morning she roasted, she ground, she brought in the clay pot, and she served my dad with that little cup. It is amazing. It is beautiful. It is our ritual.”
In 2006, he arrived in Canada, where he very quickly realized that Canadians also drink a lot of coffee – but it wasn’t the quality coffee he knew from Ethiopia. It was missing that depth of flavour and care. That was when the idea for Queen Sheba Coffee Roasters was born.
“We bring the coffee right from the farmers of Ethiopia. They are family farms – these are our uncles, our aunts, farming out there – and we bring this coffee right from the backyard where we grew up.”
Today, Queen Sheba Espresso Blend has taken Canada by storm. But Queen Sheba provides many more coffees, including Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, and their popular Morning Blend.
“The Morning Blend is inspired by my mom,” shares Gebre. “When she roasted coffee beans on an open fire, I would see all these different colours of the beans, and the taste was amazing. So I roast all different types of beans and mix them. It brings that taste, inspired by her roasting.”
Soon we’ll see their Holiday Blend on the shelves of fine stores in Airdrie, Calgary, and beyond.
“It has the nuttiest, earthiest flavour. That coffee never used to come to Canada, but having this direct connection with the farmers, we're able to bring it to Canada for the first time.”
It’s not only about the taste and ritual of top-quality coffee. For Yonas Gebre and his family, it’s about making sure the farmers who grow the coffee are fairly compensated.
“Ethiopian coffee is one of the highest-rated coffees. Coffee is the only crop we grow in Ethiopia. But our coffee farmers are very poor. They don't get paid as much as their coffee is worth. We’re trying to break that barrier. And by dealing directly with the farmers and bringing the coffee directly to Canada ourselves, we’ll be able to forward that to them, so they get paid.”
Because Queen Sheba Coffee Roasters is 100% family-owned and operated, they can maintain that control, both of quality and ensuring the farmers are earning an equitable wage for their work.
“We cut out the middlemen and the farmers get paid well so they can take care of their kids. So they can send their kids to school. So they can afford to buy books. Clean shirts. That's the situation you help to change when each cup of coffee you have goes to help the farmer who grew those beans.” You can learn more or place your order online at Queen Sheba Coffee Roasters - The Finest Organic Coffee.
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