Business In Calgary - Fratello Coffee Roasters – Celebrating 50 Years

For the millions of people that can’t function without their morning cup of joe, the Prefontaine brothers have your back. Chris and Russ Prefontaine have coffee in their blood and are proud to build on their family’s legacy in the coffee industry with Fratello Coffee Roasters.

Their father, Cam Prefontaine, dipped his toe in the coffee world in Vancouver in 1974 with Fontaine Beverages, an office coffee service featuring a variety of powder-based beverages, and in 1975 he relocated to Calgary to bring the products to Alberta. There was only one problem: he wasn’t a fan of how the coffee tasted and thought his customers deserved something better.

“In that day and age, high-quality coffee wasn’t a thing. This is way before Starbucks or any of those chains. He ended up finding a local roaster in Calgary that would start roasting him some better coffees,” says Russ Prefontaine, president and co-owner of Fratello Coffee Roasters.

Cam was a great salesperson but he found his heart was with the beans, so in 1985, when the coffee roaster was looking to sell his business, Cam was first in line. The two essentially traded businesses and the ex-roaster became the new Custom Gourmet Coffee’s first client. The Prefontaines set up shop in their garage, giving sons Russ, Chris, and Jason a front-row seat to business operations. Their mom, Barb, handled the backend of the business while Cam was the face of the company, and together they tinkered with different ways of roasting and experimented with coffee beans from around the world.

“They were some of the early pioneers of specialty coffee,” says Russ. “We grew up watching our parents’ work ethic and we’d help out in the summer or on weekends to earn a buck ourselves. It was always part of our lives.”

It was there that the Prefontaine boys learned what made great coffee and greater business. In 1991, Chris put that learning into practice after Cam went to Italy to secure a line of quality espresso machines to distribute in Alberta.

“My dad helped me, at age 19, to start a business selling espresso machines alongside my parents’ roasting company. While my dad was selling coffee beans, I was selling commercial espresso machines,” says Chris Prefontaine, CEO and co-owner of Fratello Coffee Roasters.

Chris partnered with Jason to launch Espuccino Imports, and after graduating high school two years later, Russ joined the company as its service technician. Espuccino Imports quickly made a name for itself in the industry and the brothers became North America’s third-largest distributor of Nuova Simonelli espresso machines.

In 1997, Cam won a battle with cancer and afterward was ready for a lifestyle change. The brothers bought Custom Gourmet Coffee and merged it with Espuccino Imports, bringing together quality specialty Italian restaurant equipment with a top-notch roastery, in-house service department, and hands-on training. The combined efforts gave them a unique offering that allowed them to expand their coffee distribution throughout Western Canada.

In 2007, Slayer Espresso was conceived out of a deep frustration with major Italian espresso machine manufacturers who were resistant to new ideas. The founders recognized that if they were seeking better tools, the specialty coffee community was likely yearning for the same advancements. By 2009, Slayer’s headquarters were strategically relocated to Seattle, Washington—the epicenter of specialty coffee culture. This move not only provided direct access to the world’s leading cafés and roasters and key influencers in the industry but also enhanced the brand’s optics and market positioning. Being in Seattle allowed Slayer to establish a clear separation from Fratello Coffee Roasters and focus on selling to other roasters and cafés, driving innovation, and setting new standards in espresso craftsmanship.

The brothers introduced Slayer Espresso to the world at the Specialty Coffee Association of America, showing the top baristas on the planet what they were up to. At the same time as Slayer was revolutionizing the espresso machine industry globally, Chris and Russ rebranded their company back home to better reflect the modern direction of the company.

“We made a very strategic decision to downsize Custom Gourmet Coffee and we culled about 50 percent of our customers that didn’t align with where we were going,” says Russ. “We pivoted this old coffee roasting company to become what we wanted to be, who we were trying to market the Slayer espresso machine to. ‘Fratello’ is Italian for ‘brother,’ and that’s how we came out with Fratello Coffee Roasters.”

The brothers established Analog Coffee in 2011 to showcase the ideals of the Third Wave coffee movement, which emphasized quality beans and light roasting to bring out unique flavors. They had faced significant hesitancy and resistance when educating their wholesale customers about specialized coffee. Instead of seeing this as a setback, they seized the opportunity to create a real-world example of their vision. By opening Analog Coffee at the farmer’s market, they were able to illustrate their commitment to quality and innovation in the coffee industry.

Analog Coffee quickly became a wildly popular, world-class coffee experience, and soon developed into its own brand with a distinct voice. The second location on 17 Avenue firmly established Analog’s presence, leading to the growth of six locations with potential for more. However, expanding Analog required significant capital and time investments. When COVID struck, Russ and Chris chose to concentrate their efforts on Fratello, selling the entire Analog division and brand in 2021. Additionally, they had launched Corbeaux Bakery in 2014, a from-scratch bakery providing high-quality European baking to Analog Coffee cafés and other businesses in Calgary. In 2021, they decided to stop Corbeaux’s production to fully focus on Fratello.

“What that allowed Chris and I to do was focus, to be free from so many spinning plates, so many brands, so many employees and locations, so we decided to stick with Fratello, our bread and butter that we’d grown up knowing and loving, and fine-tune this business,” says Russ.

Today, Fratello Coffee Roasters supplies top-quality beans to independent cafes, restaurants, diners, food distributors, coffee services, and resorts like Sunshine Village and Fairmont hotels. The brand has a strong following, with customers able to purchase their favorite blends online or in grocery stores. Whether it’s the caramel notes of Godfather Espresso Classic™, the creamy chocolate and toffee of Godfather Espresso Dark™, the full-bodied finish of Godfather Espresso Decaf™, the spiced cocoa flavor of Bull Rider™ medium roast, or the rich flavors of the French Saigon Dark™ blend, there’s something for every coffee lover. Additionally, the Prefontaines work closely with coffee producers to expand their offerings, including a line of loose leaf and bagged teas called Idle Tea.

The company seeks out like-minded vendors and aligned coffee producers from around the world, and Fratello features unique blends originating in countries where they have Direct Trade relationships including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Indonesia. They partner with producers who are investing in their mills, fields, and harvesters just as Fratello is investing in their roasting equipment, team, and community here.

Fratello gives back to the community, regularly donating to the Mustard Seed and supporting the CBC/Calgary Food Bank campaign every December. The company donates 1,500 bags of a popular coffee blend and all proceeds go to the Food Bank; they have raised $400,000 over the past 12 years. The featured blend has become an anticipated part of the holiday season, and Fratello is proud to be part of giving back to the community that has supported them.

Fratello Coffee Roasters has garnered wide recognition for its exceptional coffee and Chris and Russ Prefontaine are proud to still be providing quality blends to customers five decades after their parents started the business.

“We craft these products with passion and a commitment to quality, and we’re grateful that so many cafés, restaurants, offices, hotels, and coffee drinkers share our appreciation,” says Russ. “Thank you for supporting our family-owned business for the past 50 years.”

4021-9th St. SE, Calgary, Alberta T2G 3C7

Phone: 403-265-2112
Toll Free: 1-800-465-7227

info@fratellocoffee.com
www.fratellocoffee.com

Content from Business in Calgary https://businessincalgary.com/profiles/fratello-coffee-roasters-celebrating-50-years/