With over 50 years in the specialty coffee industry, there are few other companies like Fratello Coffee Roasters.
This family-run business has deep roots not only in the specialty coffee community, but right here in my home city of Calgary, where they have not just been roasting coffee, but helping to create the vibrant coffee culture that has put Calgary on the map.
With all this rich history, and no sign of slowing down, I knew it was the right time to reach out to brothers Chris & Russ Prefontaine to have them share their story on my site this month as our Coffee Roaster of the Month for June 2025!
So great to get the chance to connect with you Chris! I feel like to know the story of Fratello Coffee Roasters is to know the story of the Prefontaine family. Can you share your family’s long-standing connection with specialty coffee?
Absolutely—thanks for the opportunity to share our story. You’re right: to understand Fratello Coffee Roasters is to understand our family’s journey in coffee.
It began in 1974 when our father, Cam Prefontaine, founded Fontaine Beverages in Vancouver, and just a year later, he moved our family and business to Calgary. What started as an office coffee service quickly evolved—by 1985, Cam had traded businesses with a local roaster to launch Custom Gourmet Coffee, becoming one of the early pioneers of Calgary’s specialty coffee movement.
Growing up, my brothers and I were immersed in the business. In 1991, Jason and I launched Espuccino Imports, which became North America’s third-largest distributor of Nuova Simonelli espresso machines. Russ joined us in 1994, and in 1997, we acquired our family’s roasting company and rebranded it as Fratello Coffee Roasters.
Our shared goal was ambitious but clear: to redefine the coffee experience in Calgary and Western Canada. That pursuit led to innovation projects like the Slayer Espresso machine—conceived by our team and now internationally recognized, though it’s no longer under our ownership.
In 2011, Russ and I created Analog Coffee, bringing our vision for a world-class café to life. It wasn’t just about coffee; it was about sharing an immersive experience that expressed the care, craft, and relationships behind every cup. We’ve since sold Analog, but we remain its exclusive roaster, preserving that connection.
Today, Russ and I continue to lead Fratello with the same hands-on passion and commitment to excellence that our father instilled in us. Our focus remains on sourcing ethical, exceptional coffee through direct trade, roasting each batch with precision, and helping our wholesale partners deliver remarkable experiences to their customers.
Fratello is more than a business—it's a multi-generational expression of love for coffee, and a celebration of the people who grow it, serve it, and savor it.
Before we go much further, share with our readers what you’re drinking/enjoying these days when it comes to coffee!
Every morning starts the same for me—at home with a traditional cappuccino, made on my Slayer 1 Group using our Godfather Classic blend. We developed that coffee back in the early '90s when we were focused on selling espresso machines. We needed a blend that could really show off what great espresso could be—and the Godfather delivered. It’s bold, chocolatey, and just works. It’s become our best-seller for a reason. Whether it's in a cappuccino, Americano, or brewed as a drip, it consistently tastes great.
Lately, I’ve also been enjoying a Kenyan coffee we recently brought in. I brew it on my AeroPress, which is my go-to method for a clean, vibrant cup. This one’s got beautiful acidity and fruit notes—it’s one of those coffees that just wakes you up and reminds you why we love this work.
The word Fratello is Italian for brother/sibling. Clearly this moniker is an homage to your Italian roots, but it also points to the work you do directly alongside your brother Russ and also Jason. What’s it like working in coffee with your brothers?
This business has always been about family—working alongside my brothers, learning from our parents, and building something that reflects our shared values.
Working with my brothers has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. It’s come with all the complexities of family, but it’s also been a story of shared values, mutual respect, and the kind of deep trust you can only build over a lifetime.
I actually started Espuccino Imports back in 1991, with the guidance and support of our mom and dad. Jason soon joined me—his mechanical mind and technical expertise complemented my entrepreneurial instincts perfectly. He’s always been incredibly innovative, and he went on to lead the development of the Slayer espresso machine, which really changed the game.
Russ joined us in 1994 and quickly became the true coffee expert among us. He immersed himself in sourcing, cupping, and building direct relationships with our farming partners. He also took the lead on business development and customer experience, which are both central to who we are today. Russ brings an incredible depth of knowledge and intuition to every green coffee decision we make. His ability to connect with producers and understand the nuances of origin relationships is a huge part of what defines Fratello’s sourcing philosophy. He’s also relentless about quality—always pushing us to do better, to roast better, to serve better.
My own passion has always been in shaping how our brand is experienced—from visual identity and design to the feel of a space. That came to life in Analog Coffee, which I conceptualized and built out with Russ. Analog was more than just a café in our eyes; it served as a stage to spotlight the exceptional coffees that ignited our passion. Every element—from the layout to the signage to the packaging—was designed to communicate the same values we put into our coffee: craft, care, and connection.
These days, my focus is on internal operations—finding innovative ways to improve our systems and create efficiencies so that our business continues to run smoothly as we grow.
Our parents, Cam and Barb, didn’t just teach us about coffee—they modeled how to lead with integrity, how to obsess over quality, how to serve customers with genuine care, and most importantly, how to love what you do. Those lessons remain the foundation of Fratello.
We genuinely love working together, and that love is part of the culture we’ve built. After 50 years in this industry, we’re still learning, still pushing boundaries—and still obsessed.
Fratello Coffee has been a part of the Calgary coffee community for over 50 years! What have been your “secrets to success” to maintain such a strong presence over such a long time?
Fifty years in any industry—especially one as fast-moving as specialty coffee—isn’t about one big decision. It’s about constantly evolving while holding tight to your values.
For us, it’s been a mix of staying curious, being willing to reinvent, and surrounding ourselves with great people. We’ve pivoted multiple times over the decades—whether it was downsizing to refocus the brand, launching Slayer Espresso, or creating Analog to control our story and elevate the café experience. None of those changes were easy, but each was necessary.
One thing we’ve come to appreciate over the years is that passion alone isn’t enough—you need structure to sustain it. Building Analog taught us that. It took a decade of trial, error, and fine-tuning before we felt it could run without us. That experience reshaped how we think about growth. At Fratello, we’ve carried that same mindset forward—developing systems that support our team, protect our quality, and give us the ability to grow with confidence and clarity.
What’s kept us grounded through all of it is our culture. We have team members who’ve been with us 10, 15, even 20 years. We’ve all been through the ups and downs together, and that shared history creates a sense of family that’s hard to replicate. We care about each other. We care about the product. We care about the people we serve.
Also, we’ve embraced our failures. Not everything we’ve tried has worked, and that’s okay. Every misstep taught us something. It’s given us a kind of resilience that only comes from doing this for as long as we have.
So if there’s a “secret,” it’s probably this: never stop refining, never lose the heart of what you’re doing, and don’t forget to enjoy the ride—even when it’s hard. That’s what’s kept us going.
While no longer directly connected to Analog Café’s, there’s no arguing that these coffee shops played a significant role in growing the specialty coffee community in Calgary since first opening in 2011. What are you most proud about from this chapter in Fratello’s history?
One of the most rewarding chapters in Fratello’s 50-year journey was launching Analog Coffee in 2011. It wasn’t just about opening cafés—it was about creating a direct connection with our community and showcasing what specialty coffee could truly be. Analog gave us a platform to express our passion for coffee craftsmanship and hospitality in a tangible way.
We’re proud of how Analog helped shape Calgary’s coffee culture. From our first location at the Calgary Farmers’ Market to our flagship café on 17th Ave SW, each space was thoughtfully designed to offer more than just a cup of coffee—it was about creating a memorable experience. Analog became a place where people could gather, connect, and appreciate the nuances of expertly roasted coffee.
Even though we’ve since transitioned away from operating Analog, its legacy lives on—and so does our connection to it. We remain the exclusive roaster and continue to support the team behind it. We’re still excited about its future and proud to see how the brand continues to grow.
The lessons we learned—about quality, consistency, and community—continue to inform how we approach every aspect of Fratello Coffee Roasters today. Analog was a bold step that allowed us to grow, adapt, and stay true to our values.
In essence, Analog was more than a series of cafés; it was a manifestation of our commitment to excellence and our desire to share that with others. That chapter not only enriched our company but also contributed to the broader specialty coffee movement in Calgary.
Given you’ve been connected into the specialty coffee community for so long, surely, you’ve seen it all. What are some of the innovations, changes, advancements that you are most excited about?
We’ve been in this industry long enough to see a lot of trends come and go, but what really excites us is the way innovation continues to deepen our understanding and appreciation of coffee—both technically and relationally.
When we helped develop the Slayer Espresso machine, it was about creating a tool that gave baristas more control—something that could really bring out the unique characteristics of each coffee. That same spirit of intentionality and curiosity has become a guiding principle across the industry. It’s not just about making espresso better; it’s about approaching the entire process with more care and more nuance.
That’s especially true at origin. We’re seeing producers explore new ways to process and present their coffees, leading to flavor profiles that are more dynamic and expressive than ever. These aren’t just innovations for the sake of novelty—they reflect a deeper investment in craft and a willingness to experiment, which we find incredibly inspiring.
What makes these innovations even more meaningful is that they’re happening through close, direct relationships. Because we work directly with producers, we’re not just buying coffee—we’re collaborating with the people who grow it. That kind of partnership gives us a front-row seat to their creativity and helps us support experimentation in a way that’s both sustainable and exciting.
Innovation isn’t just about tech or taste—it’s about connection. And the more connected we are, the better the coffee becomes.
Your website speaks to your vision to continue to push the boundaries, aiming to be trailblazers in the coffee world. Can you share with our readers how you are living this out as a company?
To us, being trailblazers in the coffee world means refusing to settle—for ourselves or for our customers. We’re constantly asking, “What’s next?” and “How can we create a better coffee experience for the people who drink our coffee every day?”
A big part of that comes from our approach to sourcing. We’re fortunate to work directly with producers who are just as passionate and experimental as we are. They’re always pushing boundaries, refining their craft—and we get to bring those stories, and those coffees, to our customers. That direct line from farm to cup makes the experience more personal, more transparent, and ultimately, more rewarding.
We also think a lot about how people engage with our brand—whether it’s how they brew at home, the design of our packaging, or the content we share. Everything we create is meant to inform, inspire, and invite people deeper into the world of specialty coffee. We don’t want to just sell coffee—we want to elevate how people experience it.
At the end of the day, we’re still just as obsessed with coffee as we were when we started. What’s changed is the clarity of our vision. We know who we are, and we know where we’re going—and that gives us the confidence to keep pushing forward, even when the path isn’t always obvious.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story. I really feel if there was one word to capture the Fratello story, it would be LEGACY. Having served the coffee community for over 50 years, what do you want your legacy to be in 50 more years?
If I had to put it into words, I think we just want to be remembered as people who cared—about doing things the right way, about quality, about people, and about coffee.
For over 50 years, we’ve poured everything we have into building something meaningful. We didn’t take shortcuts. We worked hard, we stayed curious, and we held tight to the values our parents taught us: lead with integrity, treat people well, and always put in the effort to do it better.
Fifty years from now, I hope people can look at Fratello and say, “They helped move this industry forward.” That we showed what it means to care deeply about every part of the process—from the farm to the cup. That we helped set a standard. And that we built something lasting, not just as a brand, but as a family that brought others along for the journey.
If that’s the legacy we leave behind, I’d feel pretty good about it.
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Contact Info:
web: www.fratellocoffee.com
instagram: @fratellocoffeeroaster
email: info@fratellocoffee.com
Find their beans: If you’re looking to get your hands on some beans then definitely check out their web-store for what they’re currently roasting.
I just want to say a huge thank you to Russ & Chris from Fratello Coffee Roasters for helping to share their story. Check out their site, grab yourself some beans, and enjoy!
Stay Caffeinated,
Tyler, Commonly Coffee
