Yesterday was our first day open at our brand new Fenwick café location, and I thought i'd reflect on it here!
Nov 29th, 2023 is day one on Foss rd, our second home. This project never seemed like it was on our horizon until we were standing right in front of it. Before we knew it, our new roasting HQ turned into a bright, micro Black Sheep. Prior to yesterday we'd spent 45 fridays selling bread and coffee to this beautiful rural location to locals from our roasting space. We were immediately greeted and welcomed by "Fenwickians" and we felt an overwhelming sense of homeyness.
With one full day in the bag, I feel an abundant gratitude for all of you. When we opened our Welland shop in 2015 I never would have pictured this in my future, let alone only 8 years later. Welland provided me with many opportunities, from community events, friendships, city council, podcasting, and meeting Katie my now wife and mother of my child.
I can't wait to see what this location presents to us!
]]>In the next couple weeks we are opening our second café location and new roasting headquarters! Opening another café was not something we thought we had in the cards but when the opportunity to open in the beautiful Fenwick countryside presented itself, we couldn't pass it up.
Like our Welland location, our Fenwick shop will focus on community, quality coffee, and friendships. The biggest difference will be 2-fold: Firstly, aesthetically it is the opposite of Welland. It's bright, white, and features historical pieces from the original build that survived a fire 30+ years ago. Our goal is to feel like "Black Sheep" but show off another side of our personality. The second difference will be in events and education! Yes, Welland does this already albeit, differently. At our Fenwick spot we will be setting up a formalized education and tasting program in our roasting lab. We will be offering courses on pretty much everything coffee, tours of the roasting space, tasting experiences, and more. As for events: since we have much more outdoor space at the farm, we will be hosting many seasonal events, mini festivals, community shindigs, etc.
We can't wait to show off this space to you! We will be posting about our soft opening date in the next week or two!
]]>The truth is "dark roast" is treated like a faux pas in coffee, like a dirty set of words. Dark roast coffee in specialty is new and complicated, so what should we do about it?
To make it easy we need to figure out the "why" in specialty. If specialty coffee is synonymous with ethical sourcing and high quality, then why can't dark roast offer that? Truth be told, I'm not a fan of dark roast coffee but many people in my family and friends circle swear by it. As an industry we can leverage the popularity of dark roast coffee to introduce people to specialty. Maybe we can go as far as treating dark roast like a gateway drug to more "serious" lighter roasted coffees with crazy tasting notes.
GATEKEEPING IN COFFEE CAN KICK ROCKS! As long as we preserve the standard of high quality and fairness from producer to consumer, than everything else should be fair game in my opinion. We are in an exciting time in coffee and should be less concerned about what people are drinking and more concerned about where that coffee comes from!
Love you all!
]]>As many of you in the Niagara region know, we close our Welland location every year for a little over a week every Christmas. This year is no different, except we are taking a few extra days to make some changes to our space.
The pandemic changed how we now do business. Somethings for the better and somethings (like our indoor seating) for the worse. Having said that, we are taking our Xmas break to paint, do some renos, move shelving around and updating seating.
We will be closed indoors from DEC 24th to JAN 9th
WALK-UP WINDOW OPEN DEC 28th to 30th 10am-2pm
]]>The time has come! Here is a quick an easy way to make a Chemex for 2-3 people, the same we do in the shop!
48 grams medium ground coffee
800 grams filtered water
Kettle
Scale
Timer
Chemex
Chemex Filter
Enter REBEL CHOCOLATES! These guys make a top-knotch product using direct-trade, sustainably sourced cocoa. Shipped from Montreal to Welland to up our mocha game!
We wanted to be proud of every beverage equally, and now we are!
]]>Art has been an integral part of Black Sheep since day 1! Hundreds of artists have showcased their work here, adorning our walls with love and creativity. We have never charged a fee, nor taken a commission upon a sale. Some pieces have been here for years, others have changed month over month. We look at our walls like a really chaotic living-screensaver.
So much of what we have become is due to the many artists that create here, or showcase their talents here. Musicians, poets, and visual artists give us the feeling that our building is alive. That feeling can't be bought, or sought after, it can only be built by a community.
To all of you amazing and talented people out there, we thank you for making our cafe feel more like a home!
Lucas
]]>It has been laid to rest. After almost 7 years it was time to say goodbye to "Lounge" and hello to "Black Sheep Coffee Roasters". We haven't gone anywhere, we just had to update our name to more appropriately suit what we are- a coffee roaster!
In 2013, 2 years before we opened our doors, we chose the name Black Sheep Lounge for our small Welland café. It was meant to be a caffeine and community hub for the downtown. After a year we somehow turned into a restaurant- and because of the word "lounge", many people mistook us for a bar. On top of this, we discovered that the graphic artist that designed our original logo plagiarized the design from another one of his clients. (He thought we wouldn't notice because we are in 2 different countries- well, we did and were pissed).
In 2020, the pandemic forced us to reevaluate what we were doing. Many things ended up on the chopping block. Other things were examined and doubled down on! We learned that more and more people were brewing coffee from home and avoiding restaurants to save money, and stay safe. This change in lifestyle pushed us to hyper focus on coffee roasting, e-commerce (which was new to us). Since then we had a 5th, 6th, and are going on a 7th anniversary. These milestones deserve the attention of a seasoned, and more mature leader. We decided to soft launch the "Coffee Roasters" tagline, slowing switching over logos, signs, merch, etc.
Now, early into 2022 we are 80% done our rebrand, the remaining 20% to be completed by summer of this year! It's not just surface cleaning; this rebrand also came with eduction, pivoting, and reaffirming values. New and more sustainable packaging & takeout cups, more coffee training, more tasting, new dine-in glassware, and more! All of this to say thank you for supporting us and believing in our vision.
We want to continually improve your experience and the quality of our products, so your love and patience have been greatly appreciated <3
Stay tuned for more,
Lucas
]]>
When you are buying coffee, you will see an array of different tags (fair trade, specialty, 100% arabica, organic, rainforest certified, etc.). It can be incredibly overwhelming in the beginning of your coffee journey to decipher this code. In this short blog we will cover specifically "Direct-Trade", why it's important, and how we fit in to the picture.
Direct-Trade coffee is when a specialty roaster establishes, and builds upon relationships with farmers across the globe; with the intention on increasing the farmers quality of life, their ability to grow, the quality of the coffee, as well as build on sustainability practices. As it says in the name, one will work DIRECTLY with the farmer in one capacity or another. Sometimes you will discover a farmer, reach out to them, have them send you samples, and voila. Other times you start by working with importers or cooperatives who will connect you with smaller or lesser-known farmers.
The picture at the top is of our friend Don Roque. He is the owner and farmer at San Ramon in Dipilto, Nicaragua. He and his team are responsible for many favourites at the Black Sheep, like: Magma, Monkey Love 2.0, Dark Side, Santa Fuel, and More! Our mission is to increase our transparency, raise the quality of our coffees, introduce you to new things, and do all of this in the most responsible way we are able.
Direct-Trade in the least compassionate sense is important because it brings us incredible coffee. In the most enlightened sense, it introduces us to incredible coffee farmers, with big ideas, amazing families, and warm cultures. Every year through collaboration and innovation, roasters and farmers discover new and interesting coffees, processing methods, and varieties.
Help bring specialty, direct-trade coffee to your neighbourhood!
-Lucas Spinosa
]]>After a year of making candles at home, MBS turned her hobby into a business; selling her "MBS Specialty Candles". These beauties are made from 100% soy wax, with crackling wood wicks, and a variety of natural scents that add a light pleasant smell to any space.
Click HERE to support our Momma!
]]>Good Coffee, Food, and Good People - Black Sheep Coffee Roasters
Article by Maria @GoSolo Nov 26th, 2021
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lucas Spinosa, owner of The Black Sheep Lounge, located in Welland, Ontario, Canada.
Black Sheep is a community first and foremost. In 2015, we opened our doors for the first time as a coffee shop with the mission of providing a much-needed safe space for Wellanders. Over the years, Black Sheep has taken coffee exponentially more seriously- now roasting direct trade coffee multiple times per week.
Our role in the community has expanded into monthly fundraisers, awareness campaigns, and providing the space for groups that don't feel welcome in other places. We now have the privilege of shipping our coffee across the country to other coffee lovers!
Hi, Lucas here! Nice to meet you! I got my first taste of small business from my maternal grandfather (he owned one of the most iconic restaurants in Niagara Falls, ON. for 50 years). Some of my earliest memories are watching him glide from table to table, greeting his guests with enthusiasm- all the while I was dropping scrambled eggs on the floor... Although not a business owner quite yet, I watched my father oversee a large baking operation for my entire childhood.
When I turned 8, and my dad was 37, he opened Spinosa's Bakery (our family last name). The bakery signalled the beginning of a new era and mindset for the entire family. As a kid, I never saw the stress of being a business owner from my dad. Sure, we had many long days, got many pairs of jeans covered with flour, and took long road trips to buy used equipment from strange people, but he always made it for my younger brother and me. Almost 20 years, it still feels the same.
As much as I love the bakery, I am no baker. When I turned 18, I took up the opportunity to play music semi-professionally in the U.S. After a few years of that, an opportunity to open a café presented itself, and I took it. Coffee is for sure one of the great loves of my life - but people take the cake. I wanted to be able to graze from table as my grandpa once did. I wanted to give friendly hellos, remember names, challenge ideas, help people who needed it while simultaneously guzzling an unfathomable amount of coffee. I wanted to create a fun-loving environment like my dad. Fortunately, I get to enjoy the pleasures of this every day!
Accomplishments symbolize goals that have been surpassed. I have set many boring financial goals, but I believe the most important accomplishment I've achieved is flexibility. When things pop up, I am able to jump and adapt, push meetings, close for a few days, or host a party for my family. Having the freedom to choose is worth the sacrifices that come with entrepreneurship in my life.
I believe the hardest thing about being a business owner (especially in the service industry) is finding the right balance between what you want to sell and what you have to sell. For example, I own a coffee shop, and I'm passionate about coffee. I would love to have a café that only sells the things I love to drink since I would be passionate about every item. Realistically, that doesn't fly for most places.
We also sell tea, hot chocolate, juices, etc. It doesn't mean we don't take these things seriously. We do - it just means we have to try a little harder to make sure that most of the people that walk through the door can have a similar experience in quality.
Leading the Black Sheep is one of the greatest privileges of my life. I am surrounded by friends & family. I met my girlfriend (now Fiancé) here, and many of my favourite conversations have happened between these walls. If you want to start a business- do it. Don't miss out on your chance to change your life forever.
Website: https://blacksheepniagara.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blacksheepwelland/