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About Us

Bowen Island Coffee Roasting Company is the offspring of a little Espresso Bar/Café “The Happy Italian”, that opened in 2002 on Bowen Island, BC, Canada. Originally we started roasting our own coffee to supply our café. The quality of our freshly roasted coffee was noted immediately and the popularity grew. We soon outgrew our 5kg roaster along with our location and made the move to new digs and upgraded to our current 15kg roaster and afterburner that we use today. We also changed the name of our café to the “Happy Isle Café & Bistro”, celebrating Bowen Island’s colourful history known as “The Happy Isle”.

Come and visit us at the Happy Isle Café and watch the roasting process in person. Call or email to get a roasting schedule so you don’t miss out the excitement.

The original 5kg coffee roaster was purchased from Ambex Coffee Roasters in Clearwater, Florida, in 2005, and we immediately began to turn out a product superior to all the other coffees we were previously purchasing. This was due simply to the fact that the product was vibrantly fresh and custom controls were limitless.

By 2007, it was apparent we had to upgrade to the Ambex 15kg coffee roaster and because of environmental concerns and wanting to keep the fresh air fresh on Bowen Island, we also purchased the afterburner (also known as “the rocketship”) that currently sits outside the roasting facility.

What is the “rocketship”? a.k.a. “the afterburner”?  The afterburner is basically a catalytic converter that burns the smoke produced during the roasting process to a temperature of 1400 degrees and turns it into a vapour. These machines use a power burner to oxidize the smoke and smell when they run between 1,200 and 1,400 degrees. It is a gas burner chamber that uses high heat to break down the odour and smoke and convert it into water vapour and carbon dioxide.

Because of its popularity, all the freshly roasted coffee is usually sold within a week or two of production--unlike the big roasting companies who stockpiled for months, only to ship as needed.

The owner roasts every batch himself, each time producing up to 15kg of incredible, taste-bud-stimulating coffee. These small batches allow for maximum quality control, and the ability to offer custom roasting. Now, on request, the owner will produce any five-pound order of coffee on hand--blends included—in a light, medium, or dark roast. Your personal choice. Alternatively, each coffee is selectively roasted to produce the best balance of acidity and full flavour possible. Afterwards, the beans are inspected and allowed to cool and de-gas overnight.

Once ready, they are packaged and shipped within 24 hours. This is the peak time, since the beans continue to escalate in fullness and flavour for up to three days after roasting. More importantly, this insures that the coffee you purchase from Bowen Island Roasting Company will be incredibly fresh…taste the difference of a true fresh roast!

For coffee lovers, this is a product that you simply cannot miss out on. Your morning cup of java will never be the same.

Need larger quantities or interested in wholesale opportunities?

Please contact us by email

or phone: 604-947-2140 for quotations.