Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters

Overview

Phil & Sebastian was founded in March 2007 by Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb, two University of Calgary engineering graduates who met as lab partners in 1996 and bonded over food, wine and home espresso. They opened in a kiosk at the Calgary Farmers' Market on March 30, 2007 after an inspirational road trip through a March snowstorm to Vivace in Seattle, and brought the same engineering rigour to coffee that they had brought to their previous careers — designing a custom-built production roaster and writing proprietary fulfilment, menu and quality-control software in-house.

Known for

• Engineering-led approach to coffee — founders are both University of Calgary engineering grads
• Custom-built production roaster designed by Phil Robertson
• Frozen green coffee program: every lot is flash-frozen on arrival in Calgary to halt degradation — a practice adopted from George Howell
• 100% direct-trade sourcing from approximately 12 producing countries; Sebastian travels to Latin America, Phil to Africa
• Roast Magazine 2014 Micro Roaster of the Year
• 2025 Global Coffee Awards US & Canada Gold Medal (Filter/Washed) for Jose Joaquin Bolaños Geisha

Why it matters

Phil & Sebastian is widely cited by other Canadian roasters as the company that introduced them to specialty coffee. The combination of their engineering backgrounds, the custom-built roaster, and the proprietary green-freezing program produced a roaster that operates at a different technical altitude than most of the North American specialty market — and over nearly two decades they have built nine cafes in Calgary alone.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

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color sorting

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roaster machine

Custom-built production roaster designed by co-founder Phil Robertson

filter equipment

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cupping frequency

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roastery location

Calgary, Alberta

espresso equipment

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annual volume tonnes

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Café

Multiple locations including Calgary Farmers' Market West (25 Greenbriar Drive NW, Calgary, AB T3B 5X4), Simmons Building (East Village), and 4th Street SW

Recognitions

• Roast Magazine Micro Roaster of the Year (2014)
• Global Coffee Awards US & Canada — Gold Medal, Filter/Washed (2025)

Sources

• https://philsebastian.com/pages/epic-story
• https://philsebastian.com/
• https://ca.linkedin.com/company/phil-&-sebastian-coffee-roasters
• https://freshcup.com/phil-sebastian-coffee-roasters/
• https://theroasterspack.com/blogs/news/who-is-phil-sebastian-coffee-roasters-calgary-alberta
• https://www.southmag.com/5-well-known-specialty-coffee-roasters-in-canada/
• https://specialitycoffee.ca/phil-and-sebastian-coffee-roasters/