Our Story

In 1997, two friends with a passion for coffee, food and culture started thinking about how to share their passions with the community. What was initially dreamy banter, soon became the social hub for the community.

In the spring of 1998, Peter Kinskofer and Paul Michel Simard started a small roastery/cafe called “Cafe AROMA” on Quadra Island BC.

In 2001 Helene Arsenault joined their team as barista and pastry chef. Her curiosity about roasting and her determined drive for detail and quality quickly positioned her as a co-roaster. Within a year she assumed the full responsibility for roasting.

The cafe was sold in 2002 and Peter and Helene became life partners, moving the roasting plant to their home and starting a new chapter for AROMA Specialty Coffee Roasters.

Helene’s attention to detail and passion for sustainability led her to pursue almost exclusively organic and fairly traded coffees. Working largely with Cafe Femenino and Organic Products Trading Company, Helene was eventually able to secure a consistent supply of coffees while pushing the envelope of fair trade by purchasing coffees produced by women-owned and operated Cafe Femenino Programs.

Simultaneously, Helene was able to expand her network and diversify her clientele by accommodating fluctuating seasonal demands of lodges, tree planting camps and fundraisers, growing the business substantially.

By 2019, AROMA Specialty Coffee Roasters had outgrown its production capacity on its original small Diedrich Roaster and the company consequently upgraded to a 12 kg Probat roaster. Using state of the art Software with the Probat, Helene is able to produce cleaner and smoother coffees, highlighting the inherent and unique taste profiles of selected green coffees. Helene currently sources more than 80% of her annual supply of green coffees from Cafe Femenino Programs, totalling upwards from 15 tons annually. In addition 95-100% of her coffee purchases since 2004 have been sourced from Certified Organic and Fairtrade Certified co-ops.

AROMA Speciality Coffee Roasters have worked hard to develop relationships based on community, diversity and quality to provide customers with high quality and ethically sourced coffees.