Rootree Presents: Rabbit Hole Roasters

We’re pleased to introduce Sophie & David, the co-founders of Rabbit Hole Roasters in Montreal, QC. Two young entrepreneurs who share a passion and dream, to create a new type of business.

Last November, they celebrated 3 years of a caffeinated adventure! This micro-business recently stepped up their game, going from renting a roaster in Montreal to having their own equipment and sharing a building with Café Apostrophe in Delson, QC. Their relocation to Montreal’s South Shore is not only advantageous but also sets them apart. Their new space also allows the public to get a glimpse of the roasting process, an experience in itself. Not only do Sophie & David roast their coffee themselves, but Sophie’s graphic design and marketing background have allowed them to develop a brand that reflects their personalities, which definitely comes through on their attractive yellow bags, as impressive on the outside as the product is within.

These true Montrealers haven’t stopped there. They are very socially involved and have developed several initiatives such as “Pay it forward”. The coffee bearing this name gives consumers the option of adding a donation ranging from $1.50 to $5.00. All donations go to a social cause such as Les Femmes Autochtones, Meca for Peace, Black Lives Matter, and others; with the goal of practising conscious capitalism.

From an environmental perspective, back in 2020, the micro-roaster planted a tree for every online order, for a total of 2,000 trees. Not only are they active in challenging social injustices on their social media pages, but they also collaborate with other companies (i.e., Cxffeeblack, Memphis, USA) to promote more initiatives of this type for a better world.

To demystify the industry, given that coffee is a colonial product, they seek to go beyond coffee. Their mission is constantly evolving. It focuses on emerging origins while at the same time ensuring that every decision made is for the betterment of social justice, the fight against systemic racism and the reduction of our impact on the planet. The ultimate goal is to build a company with a conscience, which sets them apart from their competitors in a big way. It’s their trademark. RHR are the first roasters in North America to use arabica beans from China. Other emerging origins include Yemen and Peru. They offer a variety of products with the goal of promoting the unique flavours of the different origins. There’s something to please every palate. Even darker roast profiles.

Sophie admits that starting their own business, even with all the uncertainty surrounding them, was definitely, in hindsight, the best decision they could have made. And today they’re very thankful they did it. Their longterm goal is to open their own coffee shop. As their company name suggests, like rabbit holes, which can bring you very far, the possibilities are endless.

RHR has been doing business with Rootree since their earliest days. When they began their search for the ideal packaging, their priority was to use a local product. Their search was long and arduous. For a long time, they were looking for a compostable alternative, but they had to compromise and chose a recyclable coffee bag. A bag made in Asia was not a solution for this small business. The environment is always top of mind at RHR, even if it doesn’t always translate into the most cost-effective solution.

We asked the founders to describe their reaction when they received their first RT bag order and here’s what they replied: “We were super-happy to finally get our yellow bags and be able to promote our brand! An important step in the design of our business.”

The creative team at Rootree has always been ready to adapt their in-house design to RT’s packaging specifications, while maintaining the brand’s aesthetic.