About Us
We roast our One Point Twenty One coffee out of ECS Coffee in Burlington, Ontario. We're all about great coffee, from carefully selected beans to our sustainable & precise roast methods.
Our Namesake
Growing up an eighties kid was cool! We had great movies, great music and at that time everything seemed possible. We got a peak into the future through the movies, most of which were dark and scary. From 1985 through to 1990 I watched Doc Brown and Marty McFly give us a glimpse 30 years forward in what quickly became my favourite trilogy. As my kids grew up we watched it countless times and to this day they are my go-to movies. So when my daughter suggested that we get matching tattoos of 1.21 in Roman numerals one day, I immediately knew what she meant.
Fast forward to 2020 and our decision to get a Bellwether roaster. When brainstorming ideas, words and phrases like “The future of coffee roasting”, “energy”, “power”, “Caffeine” were all on the whiteboard. And then it hit me. 1.21 Giggawatts is what Doc Brown needed to make the time machine work. It was the energy from a bolt of lightning which could propel them to wherever they wanted to go. So as a nod to my favourite movie, to my kids and the times we watch it together, and to the future of coffee roasting, I.XXI Roasters was born.
How we Roast
Above all, we're dedicated to our coffee, and are proud of how we roast. Located in Burlington, Ontario, we are roasting all of our coffee locally and are proudly Canadian. We are using a Bellwether coffee roaster with clean technology that produces zero emissions, eliminating roast processes that harm our environment and planet. Bellwether's first-of-its-kind recirculating roasting technology eliminates particulates and VOCs in real-time, during coffee roasting, without requiring additional ventilation systems or afterburners. The air that exists the Bellwether Roaster is cleaner than the air going in, reducing the carbon footprint of each roasting cycle by an average of 90%. Paired with a significantly lower carbon footprint by using electricity rather than gas as the power source, we are able to produce freshly roasted coffee that minimizes it's environmental impact.
The Beans
One of the most important parts of our coffee is the beans themselves. Through our partnership with Bellwether, we're able to source beans from some of the best farms across the globe. The farms we choose for our beans are producers who are committed to equality, who invest in environmentally sound farming practices, take sustainability seriously and are quality-focused. Alongside our precise roasting methods and thorough cup tastings, we're able to produce truly delicious whole bean coffee that's also a consistently great coffee, and sustainable from the farm to cup.
