Kintore Coffee. It used to be just a brand that you could pick up at your local grocery store, but it has now grown to include a dedicated Kintore Coffee café in the town of Embro.
At 21, Todd Pearson, owner of Kintore Coffee, found himself on a work vacation at a small coffee farm in Hawaii. While there, he became hooked on high-quality coffee. After moving back home, he realized that something was missing from his life – the taste of high-quality coffee that he had become accustomed to it.
Eager to enjoy the taste he missed, he bought some unroasted coffee beans and tried roasting them in an old popcorn maker. “The first couple of batches I made were absolutely awful,” said Todd. Once he had a little experience roasting decent batches in the popper, he bought a little tabletop drum roaster and started working on more blends. He finally perfected the recipe and to his delight, the friends and family he used as his taste testers kept asking for more, so he began selling his coffee at church bazaars and local markets. The feedback was great, and people were eager to know where they could buy a bag of Todd’s coffee.
He forged ahead making his way into the retail market and today, Kintore Coffee is available to be purchased in over 50 stores in locations from Southwest Ontario to Toronto and Muskoka. After breaking into the retail market, the next logical step for Todd was to open a dedicated Kintore Coffee Café. Located in Embro, the café has been open to the public since January 15, 2020.
Todd expected the daily crowd to be mainly friends and family, but to his surprise, the café is consistently full of Embro locals and travellers passing through. “Every day all the seats we have are full. People are in having coffee dates, having lunch, or just grabbing a snack. It’s amazing to see,” says Todd. When asked why Todd opened the café in Embro, his response was simple: “It’s a combination of the lower operating costs and the support from local resources. The Zorra township board and other local small business organizations have been incredibly supportive. Without even asking, I’ve been shown so much encouragement in the form of promotion, advice, networking, and more. If I tried to open a coffee shop in a bigger city, I’m not going to get the same kind of support I do here in Embro.”
Even with all of this recent growth, Todd isn’t looking to slow down. He’s already talking about where his next café location could be. “You’ve always got to keep growing and looking for new opportunities,” says Todd.
Kintore Coffee Café is located at 117 Huron St. Embro
It is open Wednesday – Saturday 7am – 3pm.
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Website: kintorecoffee.com
Phone: 519.859.4243
Facebook: @KintoreCoffeeCo