KOHI Microtorréfacteur—coffee with a personal touch

Daniel Moranville, founder of KOHI Microtorréfacteur, has been interested in coffee for a long time. He would read about coffee varieties and roasting methods, research roasters for fun, and refer certain merchants he knew to them. So why not roast the grains himself and sell them? In 2017, he started a small-scale operation in his shed, working by trial and error to fully understand the product. It took a whole summer to carry out his various tests. Later, he started selling online and needed to rent a site for roasting, all while holding down his full-time regular job.

The pandemic fast-tracked everything. No longer working, he devoted himself fully to his coffee business. His wife, who had lost her job, also came onboard. Two and a half years ago they opened a small cafe and roaster in Prévost that employs five (Daniel and his wife included).

Valuable support for working capital

«CAE Rive-Nord’s Youth Strategy Program enabled us to free up our working capital and better manage our inventory. We were also able to increase our productivity by purchasing new equipment. There is no doubt that this support was valuable in the first year of full-time start-up,» said Daniel.

A lively community

Daniel is extremely proud of the community they have built—a loyal, word-of-mouth clientele, the shops and restaurants that order their coffee, as well as the connections made with local suppliers for everything other than coffee. He hopes to involve the community in the choice of future coffees. For KOHI, knowledge transfer is an important value for both employees and customers. The business offers tasting workshops to raise awareness of the subtleties of coffee and training sessions on coffee making, grinding, and more.

KOHI is a family business where friendliness is the order of the day. Despite production capacity below peak and the potential for growth, the owner’s focus is on sticking to their values and ensuring quality of life for all rather than becoming a coffee giant. He wants his employees to develop a sense of belonging and deliver ongoing high-quality service. The human side of KOHI goes all the way to the choice of its producers, as Daniel cares deeply about the people behind each farm.

We invite you to visit the website and the online store.