About us

Established in 1979, Mr. Cappuccino began as a direct importer of specialty restaurant and coffee equipment. Owner Walter started only with a small clientele list, selling mainly to European restaurants and cafes, most whom wanted to share their passion for traditional, quality Italian food and coffee. As espresso (caffè) became more mainstream in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Walter and his wife Yvonne started to expand their variety of specialty coffee equipment brands imported directly from Italy. They also helped introduce customers to specialized equipment such as wood burning ovens, granita machines and panini grills in Canada. This all while raising a young family.

 

 In 2004 we started our relationship with Caffè Ottolina, bringing in their roasted Italian blends from Milan. Caffè Ottolina was established by Giulio Ottolina in 1948. Having only started with a small micro roaster, the next generation at Caffè Ottolina now operates a state of the art facility with new production technologies while still committing to high standards of quality. 

 

 As the demand for Italian espresso increased, we relocated from our original Centre Street location, and purchased an ultra modern coffee roaster from STA Impianti of Bologna, Italy in 2007. We now roast the same proprietary Italian espresso blends under license from Caffè Ottolina.

 

 We also import green beans from all over the world, so we can offer high quality single origin and unique blends for both the espresso and regular coffee market. We pride ourselves in keeping with traditional Italian roasting techniques, as well as exploring new and innovative trends in the specialty coffee industry. We roast only the highest grades of coffee. Suppliers are selected and constantly reviewed on the basis of the quality of their products, their harvesting techniques and the sustainability of their operations. We package our custom blends and origin offerings under our private label Westroast Coffee Company 1979 Ltd.

 

Decades later, we still work with many of the same Italian brands since our inception, including Ambrogi Srl (Forni per pizzeria), Telme SpA (macchine per gelateria, pasticceria e multisettoriali), Avancini Srl (macchina per pasta fresca) and Magister Sistema Caffè (macchine per caffè).

 

In June 2024, we celebrated our 45th Anniversary. We continue as a family owned and operated business.

 

We look forward to the next 45 years!