Pilot

Stemming from humble beginnings as a family roaster in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood, Pilot has become a big name in the specialty coffee community. 

Andy and Jessie Wilkin founded their roasting business Te Aro Coffee Roasters in 2009, under the core values of sourcing ethical, direct trade coffee and building transparency in the farm to cup process. After finding success and room to grow, they rebranded as Pilot Coffee Roasters just two years later.

Pilot now boasts of a full-service roastery, cold brewery, and cafe operator with multiple locations and wholesale accounts across the nation.

Their coffee is all specialty coffee grade, which prioritizes unique influences of origin, and overall quality. 

The first step in Pilot’s mission to roast great coffee, and work with great people, is amazing green beans, which they accomplish through direct trade, meaning they build personal relationships with all farms they source beans from. 

Pilot won the title of 2014 Micro Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine, which they attribute to a dedication to quality, education and state-of-the-art facilities. 

More recently, they were dubbed one of 2020’s best workplaces for women, and best workplaces in Ontario