Coffee Consulting | Opening a New Cafe in Calgary or Edmonton
We are eager to work with people that share our dedication to coffee. We want to share our passion with you and help teach you about running a successful cafe. We have decades of hands on experience, and feel it is our job, to share this knowledge with you. Learn more about our wholesale coffee and coffee consulting services below.
Fratello has been roasting coffee for over 25 years, but we are more than just a coffee roaster. Our consultants are experienced professionals that will guide you in all aspects of your business. From initial consultations around opening a new location to getting into the details of selecting products and equipment for your business, you have access to our team of coffee professionals through every stage of your investigative/planning stages......and this is all included when you choose to work with us!
One of our consultants will meet with you to discuss all aspects of your coffee program. We will work with you to recommend the right coffee, the right equipment and the right training. From sourcing great coffee to understanding how to store it best, to roasting fresh on demand and showing you how to prepare it right, we are here for you at every step.
Our professional consultants draw from backgrounds mixing business experience and an intense passion for coffee. During the consulting process, we get to know your prospective or existing business, what customers you are looking to attract and how you want to prepare the coffee. Helping to show you the equipment options and advise you on what will be best for your space and expected volume.
Fratello has/does compete locally and nationally at coffee competitions and uses this experience in training our accounts on barista skills. For local accounts we will work with you both at our training area at Fratello and in your business in all aspects of beverage preparation.
We offer on-going training and support including areas such as latte art and alternative ways to prepare coffee by the cup in your café or restaurant. This training is included as part of your relationship with Fratello.
We are much more than just a coffee roaster. Come speak with a trusted team of coffee professionals that are here to share our extensive experience with you.
Hario Brewing Guide | Pour Over Coffee
The Hario V60 O2 pour over dripper is our preferred method of brewing coffee at Fratello's Analog Coffee. The manual brewing process allows our barista to have complete control over the brew speed and ensure proper ground saturation. The slower extraction time lends to a much sweeter and complex flavour in the cup than a traditional brewer. Follow below for a Hario brewing guide.
It is very easy to use, so we put together this brewing guide to show you how you can use this in your cafe, home or work place. They are also VERY affordable. You can find them on our store HERE.
Watch this short video that takes you through the steps to do this yourself.
Slayer Espresso & Fratello Coffee on Bizarre Foods
Check out the latest episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. He looks at the Seattle coffee scene and interviews my brother Jason and myself at Slayer Espresso studio as well as tastes a bunch of Fratello Coffees. It was a great time teaching him what Slayer is all about.
Growing, Harvesting & Wet-Milling Coffee
If you frequent high end cafes, you will most likely come across or hear the term "Micro-Mill" used more and more often. A micro-mill is a washing station called a "Beneficio" which is located on a farm. Farms which have their own beneficio's are able to have complete control over their quality. They are able to grow and harvest their coffee properly, wash & de-pulp their coffee, followed by drying their coffee before bringing it to the dry-mill which we discussed in our last blog post. Learn about growing, harvesting & wet-milling coffee.
Through working with a properly run wet-mill a roaster is able to be more selective in the coffee we choose. Choosing a single varietal coffee, a specific lot/area of the farm and if we prefer to have our coffee processed a certain way in order to give it a unique flavor is all possible through the micro-mill.
But, there are years worth of work before coffee is ever harvested. Watch this new training video which walks you through the steps, and years of work required before coffee every gets tasted.
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Drying & Dry-milling Coffee
Coffee is one of the most complicated products in the world when it comes to consistently harvesting, processing, roasting and especially brewing. More and more you will hear about how important it is to properly harvest coffee. A Micro-mill is a fairly new term, which is a description for a small mill, located on the farm, which de-pulps the coffee cherries and were coffee is typically dried in the sun. Learn about drying & dry-milling coffee.
Not very often do you hear about the steps that happen after this. These steps are briefly outlined in this video prepared by us. It was made to help you understand that all coffee doesn't stop its journey at the farm....in fact, it still has a lot of processing to go through before reaching the roastery.
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Panama Boquete - The Geisha Varietal
The Geisha Varietal of coffee is the most sought after coffee in the world. Find out why this coffee is so special, and thought to be the king of all coffees. After cupping these coffees, I was blown away at the flavor profile. Flavors of Juicy Fruit candy, creamy strawberry, tangerine acidity, intensely sweet and a balanced lingering acidity. I brewed a Chemex of this in Calgary and found myself gulping it back. Our 200 lb lot of Panama Mama Cata Full Natural Geisha will be available July 2011.
For many years the most expensive prices paid for coffee has been a rare coffee found in Panama. The record for this Panamanian coffee was set in 2007 when an auction fetched over $150 USD / lb (Green) for coffee grown at Esmeralda Estate using the Geisha Varietal. Since this time, it is not rare for people to pay 10-20 times the regular asking price for this rare coffee. In a café setting it is no different. To get a taste of this coffee, you should expect to pay $10-12 per cup. Is it worth it? I think so.
So what is with this coffee and what makes it so unique? I wanted to know as well, so the purpose of going to Panama was to begin to learn about this varietal and appreciate what it brings to the cupping tables. (more…)
