July 2020: Rapids End Coffee Roastery

Secret Sip Coffee Club is jubilant after a month of blissful coffee, and is pumped to unveil July’s secret roasting partner. Strategically located in a what many would see as a scenic treasure, Ontario’s Peterborough area is an absolute gem. Founder Daniel and the team at Rapids End Coffee Roastery truly have a remarkable and humbling story, and truly are the epitome of who we aim to showcase to our members all across Canada!

A tale as old as time … with a twist “Falling in Love with Coffee”…Daniel’s incredible story is told below and written just for our club:

“That’s what happened to me. Sure, it didn’t happen overnight. Like most kids growing up in Canada the thought of coffee conjured up the burnt aroma of Timmies. You'd have to fill your cup up with cream and sugar to help get it down. At some point I “graduated” to trying mochas, and learning what espresso is. But it wasn’t well into my early twenties, when the pursuit of Music took me and a band of brothers to Seattle, Washington. This was 2003 and Specialty Coffee culture was just taking off, and it was just a taste of what was to come.

I still remember the cafe, Bauhaus on Capitol Hill - the machine, a La Morzocco and the drink, well... still a mocha. But something was distinctly delicious and different about this coffee. Looking back perhaps the coffee was freshly roasted, or possibly extracted well - but the combination was something I had never experienced before. My mind and palette were blown and with that I started my journey into real coffee.

Travelling for the next 15 years around North America, I took in as many coffee spots as I could. From Ma & Pa shops, to corporate chains. In Australia I experienced micro foam, a flat white, and an EPIC coffee scene, years ahead of ours. Around 2018 my gears shifted from playing music to dreaming of the “next thing”. Coffee was the obvious choice, but in what capacity? So i visited Roasteries while I had the chance and honestly something just clicked for me. From Cat & Cloud to Rogue Wave - it was made clear that this was something I was falling in love with.

It’s been a year since we moved into our own space, hooked up our beautifully crafted Dutch made Giesen roaster and deciding on our name, Rapids End. The First Nations name for Peterborough is Nogojiwanong which means “place at the end of the rapids.” We’ve always had a soft spot for history and Peterborough is considered the canoe capital of the world because it used to be home to several canoe factories. Our emblem is a WWII era Peterborough Canoe Co. red canoe hanging in the roastery. It’s a reminder to take time away from the chaos in life, and get back to peace. Our dream is that each person can find a moment to rest with a great cup of coffee and experience some calm in the midst of their own rapids.

We get to support a growing community of ethical growers, buyers and fellow coffee lovers. I feel so grateful to be a small part of such a big coffee world.” 

The Story is almost as incredible as the COFFEE ITSELF. July’s secret roast was an unbelievable single origin from Colombia. From the San Sebastian farm, we were graced with a luscious organic Castillo bean grown at an elevation of 1850 MASL. The notes were a heavenly blend of milk chocolate, rich peanut, sweet toffee, and honey. Does it get better than that?

Secret Sip Coffee Club is so pleased to have partnered with Rapids End Coffee Roastery to bring you this month's secret roast, and what we believe to be, one of Canada’s best coffees. To learn more about Rapids End Coffee Roastery, check out their website below: