Toronto · Canada

Pilot Coffee Roasters

Pilot Coffee Roasters roasts in Toronto, Ontario.

Since 2009 · Andy Wilkin, Jessie Wilkin

Overview

Pilot was founded in May 2009 in Leslieville, Toronto by Andy Wilkin — a freshly-minted Q Grader from the Te Aro neighbourhood of Wellington, New Zealand — and Jessie Holmes, who later married and runs the company alongside him as Andy and Jessie Wilkin. The company opened as Te Aro Coffee Roasters in a converted Leslieville car garage with a 24kg Diedrich roaster and rebranded to Pilot in 2013 when production moved to its current 50 Wagstaff Drive headquarters.

Known for

Roast Magazine 2014 Micro Roaster of the Year
Pilot Cold Brew, a category-leading cold-brew production line
Original Te Aro cafe in Leslieville (now operating as a separate sister cafe at te-aro.ca) inspired the brand
Direct-trade partnership with Fazenda Recreio in Brazil
10+ cafes across Toronto, Oakville and Waterloo plus wholesale and grocery distribution coast-to-coast in Canada
Cafes designed by Toronto architecture studio Williamson Williamson

Why it matters

Pilot was one of the foundational Toronto third-wave roasters and is widely cited by other Canadian roasters as a quality reference point. Andy Wilkin's status as one of Canada's earliest Q Graders, combined with the 2014 Roast Magazine award and a sustained investment in cafe design and cold-brew infrastructure, helped move Toronto specialty coffee from cult curiosity to mainstream presence.

Production

roaster machine: 24kg Diedrich (original Te Aro setup; current Wagstaff facility runs production-scale equipment)
roastery location: 50 Wagstaff Drive, Toronto
espresso equipment: Modbar AV (in select cafes)

Café

50 Wagstaff Drive, Toronto (roastery cafe); plus locations across Toronto, Oakville and Waterloo

Recognitions

Roast Magazine Micro Roaster of the Year (2014)

Sources

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