Fratello means ‘brother’ in Italian – a fitting moniker for Calgary-based Fratello Coffee Roasters, the family-focused coffee pioneer celebrating 50 years in the industry. Brothers Chris and Russ Prefontaine are at the helm of what started as their dad, Cam’s, humble coffee distribution company in 1974, (he switched to being a roaster in 1985), and the pair has continued to build on the family legacy to become a preeminent roaster (distributor, equipment service provider) in Alberta and the western Canadian market.
The company’s longevity is all the more impressive when thinking back a few decades, to what coffee culture used to be. In essence, it didn’t exist. In the early 80s, there were no independent coffee shops featuring locally roasted, craft brews or serving as a place to meet friends, people watch, or work on the laptop. Fast forward to today, and who could imagine a city street without a spate of coffee shops, independents and chains alike? It was the Prefontaine family that spearheaded the growth of coffee culture in the Calgary area, and while Fratello isn’t resting on its laurels, it’s celebrating its place at the forefront of the coffee evolution. The morning cup of joe has come a long way, indeed.
“We grew up watching our parents’ work ethic and we’d help out in the summer or on weekends to earn a buck ourselves. It was always part of our lives,” explains Russ, Fratello president. Though the 49-year-old only came on board full time in the early 90s, he and company CEO Chris, 52, (plus older brother Jason), were ambitious in taking their dad’s roasting company to new heights.
First came Espuccino Imports in 1991, when the newbie entrepreneurs achieved quick success by becoming North America’s third largest distributor of Nuova Simonelli espresso machines. Then in 1997, the brothers merged that company with their parents’ Custom Gourmet Coffee to create Fratello. Yet another achievement, the brothers’ Slayer Espresso, was also a key player in the early days of specialty coffee machines. Eldest brother Jason took that company to the US in 2009, eventually selling it and retiring to Florida along with his parents.
“Being a family-owned business is at the heart of everything we do. It allows us to stay true to our values, to focus on quality, sustainability and the community,” says Russ. We’re doing what we love, doing what we’re good at, and not trying to be anything else. It’s that simple. That, and aligning ourselves with the right people.”
Margie Gibb, of Calgary’s popular Caffe Beano on 17th Avenue, owns what was one of the city’s very first coffee shops to feature specialty and local brews. And Gibb knows well the importance of having a local, one-stop-shop supplier/roaster (which also sells and services coffee equipment) to work with. It’s why she’s been with Fratello since the beginning, a partner for 30 years and counting.
“They were THE roasters in town,” Gibb remembers. “And their quality and consistency is everything. We were able to stay open through COVID because Fratello stayed open, roasting coffee just for us. Ultimately, the product has to taste great, and it does. Customers come from all over for our Beano house espresso (a Fratello exclusive).”
Another feather in their cap came in 2011, when the brothers’ desire to be part of every element of the coffee journey, from bean to cup, led them to launch Analog Coffee. “We always wanted to be part of where customers gather for a simple cup of coffee,” says Russ of the decade-long ‘coffee experience’ with Analog, which grew to 10 locations around the city. “But it was the right decision for us to eventually return to our roots and passion as wholesale roasters. What that allowed Chris and I to do was focus, to be free from so many spinning plates, so many brands, so many employees and locations. We decided to stick with Fratello, our bread and butter that we’d grown up knowing and loving, and fine-tune this business,” says Russ.
That well-earned industry savvy has helped Fratello weather economic storms (like the pandemic and more than one recession), and when the brand expanded in the late 1990s, Fratello downsized the team from nearly 100 to just 18. Today that number sits at 14, an efficient staff working from an 18,000 square-foot facility in Calgary’s southeast.
Being immersed in the world of coffee from childhood meant the brothers fell in love with coffee itself, its origins and the farm families that grow beans all over the world – in other words, it remains a passion to this day. Russ says he remembers his first ‘coffee origin’ trip to Brazil. “It blew my mind to see a coffee tree and meet the growers. You can’t get that watching a video of coffee production.”
The company seeks out like-minded vendors and aligned coffee producers from around the world, with an ever-growing focus on education and ethical sourcing. Fratello has Direct Trade relationships with partners in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Indonesia, countries that help supply product to independent cafes, restaurants, coffee services, and resorts like Sunshine Village and Fairmont hotels. Beyond the Calgary area, java junkies find their fix at places like Pact Coffee and Bon Ton Bakery in Edmonton.
The Fratello brand has a strong following online and in groceries too. Whether it’s caramel, chocolate, or toffee notes of Godfather Espressos, (a top seller), the spiced cocoa flavour of Bull Rider, or the richness of the French Saigon Dark blend, Fratello is giving consumers what they’re asking for. There’s even a line of loose leaf and bagged tea in the product mix.
“We craft these products with passion and a commitment to quality, and we’re grateful so many cafés, restaurants, offices, hotels, and coffee drinkers, share our appreciation,” Russ says.
Well aware that the company is a product of not only family but its environment, Fratello regularly donates to the Mustard Seed and supports the December CBC/Calgary Food Bank campaign. In over a decade, the business has donated hundreds, even thousands of bags of coffee and helped raise about a half million dollars for the nonprofit. It’s a no-brainer, Russ says. Being part of the community means donating funds and supplying hundreds of pounds of fresh coffee where it’s called to give, including to charities ranging from homelessness to addiction.
In a milestone year that has celebrated the family journey in the coffee industry and of the community, and support Fratello has received from Calgary and Western Canada, the Prefontaine brothers are still focused on what has always driven the company. “In the end, we’d rather spend time on our customers and win their hearts.”
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