This Hamilton company creates the ultimate coffee experience through its premium blend of quality and flavour
By: Nageen Riaz
Outside of Detour Cafe located on 175 John St. (Nageen Riaz/CanCulture)
Detour Coffee Roasters redefines Hamilton's coffee scene with their single-origin collection, online initiatives and aesthetically-pleasing products. What started out in 2009 as a small café in Ontario’s Dundas community has now grown into a network of four popular spaces located in Hamilton.
Featuring fun flavours, exciting blends and an in-house roastery, Detour takes pride in its coffee by promising an authentic yet playful experience. Customers can indulge in seasonal blends or enjoy holiday-themed specialties, including the recent Valentine’s Day-inspired red licorice coffee. No matter when you stop by, there’s always something for everyone.
A variety of Detour’s coffee on display (Nageen Riaz/CanCulture)
“Some people walk into a café and don’t know what to order because it can feel confusing, so we try to have fun and make specialty coffee feel more inviting,” said Ryan McCabe, the co-director of coffee, sales and marketing at Detour.
Making coffee accessible and exciting is central to Detour’s mission, with dedicated pages on their website that feature everything from brewing guides to virtual coffee trips. Customers are invited to learn more about the different coffee-growing regions of Ethiopia, Columbia and Costa Rica.
“The customer knows just as much about what they love about coffee as the person making the coffee, we try to make people feel that connection.”
“We want to help bring the coffee in and get the stories to our customers as much as possible,” said McCabe. “We do the roasting, marketing and selling of the coffee, but really, we’re trying to tell the story of where it comes from so people can be more in the know of what coffee is, how it’s grown and processed and how that affects flavour profile.”
McCabe says Detour is also actively involved with the sourcing process by travelling to the origin and working alongside importers to deliver the best coffee experience for its customers. The company highlights region, origin, variety and sourcing with one main goal: maximising flavour.
Customers can fully immerse themselves in the rich flavours by engaging with some of the many initiatives the company has to offer, such as the “monthly coffee club.” Those subscribed to the club receive two bags of single-origin coffee delivered straight to their doorstep as well as early access to new coffees and special releases.
Detour is also active on Instagram, where they post about new flavours, make announcements and engage with customers through themed live streams, including their recent “1-800-HOT-SINGLES” segment. The segment gave customers the opportunity to call in with coffee-related questions, participate in giveaways and hear all about Detour directly from the “coffee professionals.”
“The goal is to get more people involved and interested in specialty coffee and more people feeling open and included in it,” said McCabe. “The customer knows just as much about what they love about coffee as the person making the coffee, we try to make people feel that connection.”
With such a strong focus on building a space where community members can come and share their love for coffee, Detour is quickly becoming the go-to spot for coffee enthusiasts. Their creative branding and engaging initiatives, paired with top-quality products, make for the perfect blend of an exciting and informative experience.
“Our motto, ‘making coffee is fun’, is what Detour is really about.”