Coffee and the city.

Coffee is a big thing in Montreal. Even though growing coffee in Quebec isn’t an option, there are some incredible local artisans who put great care into selecting and roasting coffee beans. When it comes to coffee, to real Montreal authentic coffee, we’re talking Café Union. Originally owned by llan Dowbiggin and Albert Lisbona in 1910, it was bought by Nassif Kouri in 1964, who was a big part of Café Union’s growth since day one. Today the Café and roastery are run by Nassif's son, Eric and his sons, James and Stephan. We chatted with James to get a better understanding of how Café Union got from where it was in 1964 to what it is today.

So James, tell us a little more about Café Union and its life over the last century.

My father, Eric, was the one who shaped Café Union into what it is today. The roasting, the blends, the espresso machines, it’s all due to him. He was a real pioneer, and for a non-Italian in a market traditionally operated by Italians, he created a Montreal flavour that is very unique.

What about the coffee roasting, who's in charge of that currently?

Roasting coffee beans is a very delicate process, and Eric, my father, wanted to offer the best coffee in Montreal. As soon as he started, he bought a coffee roasting machine. He also introduced a process that allows us to buy quality beans in smaller quantities and roast coffee five days a week to make some of the finest and freshest coffee in Montreal, with almost no waste!

That's amazing! And how do you feel about running one of Montreal’s finest coffee places?

Our father was always so passionate about what he does and that transferred to us. I was born into the coffee business. Union is intrinsically linked in my DNA. By the time I was 14 years old, I knew everything about Union’s process, products and—most importantly— customers.

For sure customer service is important in your business...

Yes, totally! Our shop on Jean-Talon Ouest has a very intimate and familial atmosphere with long-time patrons, new customers and employees who have watched the business grow for over 15 years. We even keep our customers’ favourite blends on file to be able to better serve them when they come by for a new bag of freshly roasted coffee. The most amazing thing is that most of us actually remember by heart what the customers like. It’s more of a friendly coffee shop where you can run into your old friend than a commercialized chain, despite the fact that we work with some of the finest restaurants in Montreal.

I’m assuming one of those restaurants is the famous Joe Beef and the coffee blend you designed for them?

Yep, that’s the one! They wanted something good and something local, and Café Union fell perfectly into this criteria. We’ve been working with them for some time now and you guys now carry their blend on the Marketplace I believe.

Yep we do, and we’re super happy about it too! The more the merrier. So where do your blends come from?

When it comes to coffee, we’re really careful at selecting the best taste and quality. As you may know, growing coffee in Montreal is not an option, so our blends do come from abroad, but we nonetheless choose the ones we’re personally passionate about. From where it was back when we started to what it is today, I am really proud to see that Café Union is finally in everyone’s neighbourhood!

Check out Café Union’s blends on the Marketplace!

Happy coffee drinking Lufavores!