from China, with love and energy 加油

Building a Global Coffee Industry with a Local Mindset

Right now, Dave and I are on the ground in Shanghai for a marathon week ahead; a three-day bar takeover with our friends at Blacksheep Espresso, a seminar at Terraform and then we cap it all off with four days at Hotelex Shanghai, one of the world’s largest coffee exhibitions, where you will find both of us at the booth 99% of the 9am - 6pm hours of operation. We’re here in Shanghai for 8 days and we have every intention to go full blast, full energy, every one of those days.

Is this some sort of masochistic obsession with pushing ourselves to the limit? Could be; however, if there’s one thing we’ve learned in coffee, it’s that the best results come from full immersion.

For us, this isn’t just about showing up - it’s about putting our full energy in, connecting with the best, and proving that specialty coffee has no borders. Shanghai is a city that moves fast, just like our beloved specialty coffee industry, and we’re here to match that energy every step of the way.

Energy in, energy out. As coffee entrepreneurs, the energy we invest in days like these fuels our vision. Every connection, every conversation, every cup - each one is an opportunity to build.

There’s three main reasons we’re here. The primary is to represent our roasting brand, Rosso Coffee, the secondary is to share enthusiasm in the re-launch of Forward Coffee, and the third is that we’re hyper-fascinated by the Chinese coffee market and really enjoy connecting and sharing with coffee lovers here.

A Global Roasting Vision - Rosso Coffee

Rosso has been around since 2007 and it’s been focused on digging deep roots in our local market in Calgary. We’re a neighbourhood brand, that’s all about romancing the ritual, celebrating the craft of coffee and savouring each sip. Since stepping onto the global coffee stage in 2018, we’ve believed our neighborhood brand could connect with a worldwide community.

Our approach to coffee is friendly and we have a tiered menu that provides stepping stones for those just getting into the specialty coffee world as well as a menu of rare, hard to find, elusive lots that often don’t get seen in the marketplace and rather, stashed for competitions, or private events. We believe in making these accessible, for the growth and understanding of the industry.

As coffee entrepreneurs, we celebrate consumers of all coffee, and we try to meet them where they are in their journey. For us to achieve this mission, it has become important for us to take our friendly, neighbourhood coffee brand into what feels like uncharted territories, bringing a global approach and effort to the celebration of coffee - meeting coffee lovers, literally where they are in their journey.

The influence we also find from experiencing coffee in different cultures and bringing that back to share with our community is profound and has major impact on how we approach coffee throughout the years.

While we’re here, our primary goal is sharing Rosso direct to consumer, via the sale of bags of roasted coffee, as well as by the cup. As well as seeking out local partners / distributors that we can trust and grow with in the market, to support Rosso. If you have any leads, please let us know :)

from Panama, with love, made easy - Forward Coffee

We’ve been sourcing coffee from Panama for nearly a decade, and it’s never been easy. You need the right connections, the right questions, and the right responses to navigate the industry. It also helps if you’re a champion of some sort and have a title in your instagram bio - how goofy

Forward is providing accessibility and visibility to coffees that are hard to access, for people anywhere in the world that are interested, no longer just for those that can justify travel to Panama to purchase coffee.

It’s an enthusiastic conversation we’re having with many coffee professionals as it’s simplifying the access to coffee from Panama. Currently, there’s nearly 70 different coffees from 12 different producers available on the platform, and an offering list that will continue to grow by the week. The website has been online for just 10 days and it’s seen 25 orders that are going to 8 different countries. Yes, we can ship from Panama direct to China.

As coffee entrepreneurs with a global perspective, we’re working to provide solutions to the industry and value to those that choose to stand in our corner.

The menu we’re showcasing here for Rosso is 100% Panamanian coffee and acts as a representation of what Forward can offer to roasters, anywhere in the World.

We’ve put years of our energy in, to provide value, as energy out.

China: A Market on the Rise

China’s specialty coffee scene is booming. At our three-day bar takeover, we’re testing techniques we’ve never explored before - like Dave’s recipe of 16g to 240g espresso extraction, using a paper filter on both top and bottom of the espresso puck. The result? A fully extracted, clean, and balanced Americano-style beverage - maybe this is the 'Canadiano' we've been hearing about on the news…

We’re inspired to try new techniques. We’re seeing new work flows and bar setups. There’s something about the industry here that’s got this “no rules” type of attitude toward making coffee, and as coffee professionals of 15+ years, it’s inspiring, it’s motivating, it brings us energy in, simply to witness.

Yes, this is a whirlwind trip and it’ll take a lot of energy to get through the upcoming days; however, the energy we’ll gain for the upcoming months will make it all worthwhile. These are the days down the road that we’ll look back on and celebrate that we put everything we had out into this wonderful world of coffee.

Jet lag is kicking in. More soon - stay dialled in on social media

Energy in. Energy out.

in Chinese, there’s a term I’m fond of, 加油 = jiāyóu, which translates to “add oil”

respond with a photo of your brew bar or get creative with an AI generated scene and we’ll feature and share in an upcoming week of BTD

Distance: Buy the Drip run club. Clocking some kilometers. We’re casual, we’re fun, we’re just out for a run. For us, running has become an easy outlet when on the road, to ensure we’re getting exercise, to get out and explore the city and to simply breath some fresh air and headspace.

Let’s connect on Strava!