Our story

BBCR (Brown Bag Coffee Roasters) was founded in 2017 by Shann Bosnell, his partner Dana Rakus, and his two daughters, Kianna and Anika.

After spending more than a decade working in the IT industry, Shann always maintained a few side passions. One of those was a small family-run apothecary business called ManSoap, which operated for many years.

At the same time, Shann had been roasting coffee at home, gradually progressing over a two-year span from a popcorn popper to a Behmor, then a HotTop, and eventually a propane-powered Sonofresco roaster.

In the fall of 2016, an opportunity arose for Shann to leave the IT world. By the end of October, plans were underway to launch a coffee roasting company of his own. Within three months, a small 700 sq. ft. space was secured, propane and venting were installed, and the roastery began to take shape. Designed to house up to four Sonofresco roasters, along with packaging space and storage for two pallets of green coffee, Brown Bag Coffee Roasters officially launched in January 2017. With Shann’s background in B2B sales and support, the initial focus was exclusively on supplying local cafés and restaurants.

Dana, a full-time graphic designer, took the lead on building the website and developing the original look and feel of the brand.

Kianna, who was 15 at the time and still in high school, began working afternoons at the roastery, helping with packaging and roasting. In those early days, there was a very real chance that your coffee was roasted by the youngest roaster in the city.

By mid-2018, BBCR was gaining traction within the local coffee community, and the original space quickly became cramped. With Kianna still working part-time, BBCR needed a full-time production roaster.

Chris Jonker, who had recently immigrated to Canada from South Africa, joined the team. Having worked as a barista back home, Chris was eager to learn everything about coffee. It didn’t take long for him to step into the role of Head Roaster. Meanwhile, Shann began searching for a new home to support the company’s growth.

In early fall 2019, BBCR secured a 1,400 sq. ft. space in the same building, featuring a large garage door and an open production area. Construction began immediately, along with plans to upgrade roasting capacity.

Committed to fluid bed roasting, BBCR transitioned to a Coffee Crafters XE Deluxe roaster. 

By early February 2020, the team moved into the new space, closing the original location behind them.

Everything was brand new —from the Rocket R9 espresso machine to the roaster itself— and the excitement for what came next was palpable.

What came next, of course, was COVID.

Within a month of moving, a business built primarily on wholesale café and restaurant partnerships was forced to shut down. After several late nights considering next steps (and sharing a few scotches), Shann and Dana made the decision to pivot hard toward a direct-to-consumer model. Within two weeks, the website was redesigned with a consumer-first focus, and BBCR launched coffee subscriptions for the first time.

Knowing local shipping companies would be overwhelmed during lockdowns, BBCR purchased a Ford Transit and began offering daily local deliveries. The program was nicknamed "Better Than Amazon." Orders placed before noon and within 30 kms were delivered the same day. Community support was immediate, and word quickly spread about BBCR’s coffee quality and customer-first approach.

Thanks to that support, BBCR avoided layoffs and did not take government subsidies—adapting quickly to survive an incredibly difficult period.

By May 2022, most COVID restrictions had lifted, and wholesale partners who survived the shutdowns returned. With both direct-to-consumer demand and wholesale back at full strength, BBCR once again outgrew its space and roasting capacity. Shann hired an assistant roaster, Kendall, and the team ran the roaster 5–6 days a week, often 12 hours per day. That Coffee Crafters proved to be an absolute workhorse.

After just over two years, it was time to scale again.

Soon after, one of BBCR’s customers tipped Shann off about an available space just around the corner. A quick visit and a few signatures later, BBCR secured a 4,000 sq. ft. facility—finally providing room to grow and space for a full café. By this time, Kianna had graduated and was working full-time in the business, handling wholesale deliveries, packaging and online order fulfillment. She immediately took on the challenge of designing and building an approachable café within the Aylmer business park.

At the same time, Shann placed an order for a state-of-the-art Sivetz SRM-15 fluid bed roaster with an eco-filter system. While the team held operations steady at the existing location, work began on BBCR’s largest build-out to date.

In July 2023, BBCR officially moved into its new home at 595 Vernon, reuniting the entire team under one roof. The new space includes a 2,000 sq. ft. roastery, a 1,000 sq. ft. full-service café, and another 1,000 sq. ft. dedicated to Ki’s Garage, a barbershop built and operated by Kianna. Entrepreneurship, it seems, truly runs in the family.

Our journey has taken us well beyond the roastery: coffee trucks, coffee trailers, two additional café locations, and even an electric cargo bike serving Nitro Cold Brew. We’ve tried plenty of ways to bring BBCR to our community. Some became lasting parts of our story; others taught us where to focus.

Over time, we came back to what we do best: roasting exceptional coffee and making it easy to enjoy. Today, our aim is simple: to offer the most approachable, award-winning coffee in Ottawa–Gatineau. In your favourite mug at home, at our café, or through one of our partners, we want every cup to feel like BBCR.

Along the way, we were honoured to be named Th3rdwave’s Ottawa–Gatineau Roaster of the Year in 2020 and 2022. We’ve grown from brown kraft bags and the original Brown Bag Coffee Roasters name into BBCR, but the people, curiosity and care behind your coffee remain at the heart of it all.

Many incredible team members have been part of this journey. Some have moved on, all are missed, and their stories remain a daily part of BBCR’s culture. Through all the growth and constant change, one thing has remained the same: a commitment to approachable, specialty coffee done right.

On behalf of the entire BBCR team, thank you for allowing us to be part of your coffee journey.

In the immortal words of our first Head Roaster, Christiaan: “Stay curious.”

— Shann