Navigating the Entrepreneurial Journey: From Roaster to Café Builder

At Colosimo Coffee, our roots were planted in roasting and supplying exceptional coffee. For years, we proudly supported cafés, restaurants, and office spaces—delivering carefully sourced beans, building custom blends, and helping others craft standout coffee programs.

Then, everything changed.

The Pivot: From Wholesale to Home Delivery

When COVID hit, the world slowed—and so did many of our wholesale accounts. Offices closed, cafés paused operations, and demand dropped overnight. Like so many others, we had to make a choice: stall, or evolve.

With our drivers already on the road, we launched colosimocoffee.com and rolled out home delivery. Suddenly, we weren’t just supplying coffee to businesses—we were serving families, students, and professionals directly in their homes. It kept us going, but it also sparked something bigger.

Why We Opened Our Own Cafés

We realized that if we truly wanted people to experience what we’re about, we needed to create that environment ourselves. A café where we could control not just the roast, but the recipe, the training, and the connection across the counter.

That led us to open our first brick-and-mortar café—not because it was part of the original plan, but because we were pulled into it by demand, opportunity, and a desire to share our vision firsthand. From there, we kept growing.

Building a Strong Foundation

Each Colosimo Coffee café reflects our core values: consistency, quality, and culture. We don’t just build beautiful shops—we build teams. From baristas to leadership, we focus on trust, clarity, and commitment to the customer experience. That’s the foundation that keeps every store aligned.

Scaling Up: From One Store to Many

Growth wasn’t just about opening more doors. It was about doing it without losing what made us special. Every new location brought fresh challenges—new communities, different layouts, evolving customer habits—but we leaned in.

We learned how to scale intentionally. We held tight to our standards while letting each café reflect its own unique vibe. It’s not easy, but when done right, it’s incredibly rewarding.

Two Divisions, One Vision

Today, we operate with two focused arms:

• Colosimo Coffee Distribution – our roastery and delivery network, supplying cafés, restaurants, and offices across Manitoba.

• Colosimo Coffee Retail – our growing family of cafés, where customers can experience our coffee the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

Both are powered by the same belief: coffee and community belong together.

The Joys and Pains of Growth

There’s beauty in building—but it comes with growing pains. The joy of watching your team succeed, of hearing the hum of conversation in a packed café—that’s magic. But behind the scenes? It’s early mornings, hard decisions, and constant pressure to deliver.

Still, the hard days shape us just as much as the good ones. They push us to refine, rethink, and rise stronger. That’s the rhythm of real growth.

A Journey of Continuous Learning

Entrepreneurship never settles. Each new café, each team meeting, each cup served teaches us something. About leadership. About people. About staying rooted while reaching forward.

We don’t have it all figured out—but we’re listening, learning, and showing up every single day with purpose and passion.

J