When coffee first arrived in Canada from the Caribbean it travelled by wooden ships, directly exposed to the ocean air along the way. It made for a great-tasting coffee, smoother and less bitter than what modern coffee drinkers are accustomed to. Today, New Brunswick’s Saltwinds Coffee Company — led by Co-founders Laura Richard and Brad Rideout — gives coffee lovers a chance to experience the same smooth, delicious coffee that earlier generations consumed.

Richard says it’s all about chemistry. “Ocean air would infuse those raw coffee beans with salt and other trace minerals during their journey. When you roast those ocean air-exposed beans, different chemical reactions will occur.”

Rideout first heard the tales of yesteryear’s coffee growing up on Campobello Island. Richard, a chemist by training, set out to see if those stories were apocryphal or authentic. “We decided to try and bring that ocean-infused coffee into the modern era if possible. After playing around and producing several batches, what we finally arrived at was an amazingly smooth coffee, one without the bitterness you often get. It’s what we now offer as our signature Ocean Air Dark Roast Coffee.”

A focus on sustainability

While the Saltwinds team loves their coffee, they are equally passionate about the environment. Richard says sustainability efforts are focused both on the growing and the roasting of the coffee. “In terms of sustainable growing practices, it’s about using shade-grown coffee, and carefully watching your water and fertilizer use. We work directly with farmers to ensure the coffee we’re using is grown as sustainably as possible,” she says.

Saltwinds’ real innovation, however, is in the roasting. “Traditionally, coffee has a high carbon footprint. Most roasters use propane or natural gas to get beans to their desired temperature, and as part of the chemical reaction, carbon emissions are released via CO2 when green beans turn into roasted coffee, so it’s a double carbon whammy,” she notes. “We decided to reinvent how we roast coffee. Given my chemical engineering background, I had some ideas. We were so busy filling orders, however, that time was not plentiful. That’s when we found partners.”

Saltwinds struck up a collaboration with both the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and the Research and Productivity Council (RPC) to create novel technologies that will capture carbon as the coffee is roasting. Moving from propane/natural gas to electricity is part of the process. Early results have been promising, with CO2 emissions reduced by 13 per cent as part of its initial run.

Industry takes notice

Richard says retailers and wholesalers across Canada, with their own ESG targets and initiatives in place, have also taken note of Saltwinds’ efforts. “We were recently listed at Sobeys. They were very interested in our environmental story. They asked us to add new text to our packaging to explain our sustainability approach. They want to see more of that on their shelves, which is great. I do think that environmental focus will help us get selected over competing suppliers.”

Supply chain partners and other roasters have shown interest in Saltwinds’ carbon capture technology to reduce their emissions, creating potential for future collaborations.

Partnerships make the difference

Richard says any company, particularly small businesses like Saltwinds, can work on reducing its environmental impact provided they find the right partners. “I fully understand that for many small businesses, meeting sales targets is more immediately important than worrying about carbon footprints,” she says. “That said, my advice is to find partners who can do much of the environment-focused work for you. The teams at RPC and UNB have the research expertise we need. They are incredible partners that help design and test new innovative technologies. We’re still involved when it’s time to verify and implement, but they do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of R&D.”

She says ONB support was also crucial in the early going. Before launching Saltwinds, she connected with ONB Business Navigators to learn about incorporating in New Brunswick, navigating health and safety regulations, and more.

“ONB has been extremely helpful in terms of the networking piece; they’ve connected us with other agencies, as well as potential suppliers and customers. They also helped us find a new facility for our roastery. We’re now an operation of 10 people, serving customers across Canada, and we’re readying a push into the U.S. as our first export market. I expect we will continue to rely on ONB’s expertise as we enter this exciting phase for the company.”

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Laura Richard has been selected as one of Atlantic Canada’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Business for 2024 by Atlantic Business Magazine. This announcement was made official today to celebrate International Women’s Day. ONB would like to congratulate Laura on this incredible achievement!

Launched in March 2022, and beginning with sales at Fredericton’s Garrison Night Market, Saltwinds now offers a wide variety of made-in-NB coffee flavours to customers across Canada. Visit them at https://www.saltwindscoffee.com/.

New Brunswick-based businesses beginning their sustainability journey can connect with ONB at any time. Our team is ready to help.