A hands-on approach to the family business is something that sets 416 Coffee apart from other coffee shops, especially among the big-name players, said Chris Battagli.
“We just focus on quality because we control the whole supply chain,” he said between tending to customers on a grey and rainy day just before New Year’s.
“Because we control the whole supply chain, we control everything from the coffee we're sourcing, how we're roasting it and then able to get it on the shelf. There's no middleman."
Battagli and his brother, Nicholas, own the company along with their father, Carmine, who first began experimenting with roasting his own coffee more than 25 years ago in his hometown of Toronto. After moving to Niagara, the 416 Coffee Co., which takes its name from the area code for Toronto, was established 11 years ago in St. Catharines, where the company’s roasting facility is located. The first coffee bar was established in Port Dalhousie back in 2019, followed two years later by a second store in Grimsby, and now 416 has opened a third location in Pelham.
To make good coffee, 416 has invested thousands of dollars into top of the line equipment like espresso makers and grinders. More important, however, is having a staff that knows how to use it, Battagli said.
“Our staff is trained to make all those drinks at the highest level,” he said. “That's the focus. You want to have a great cup of coffee from here.”
These “drinks” include everything from espressos, pour-overs (where water is poured directly over coffee grounds), lattes, Americanos and cappuccinos (both hot and iced) to cold brews.
Our staff is trained to make all those drinks at the highest level
With the help of coffee brokers in Canada and the United States, beans are sourced from across the world.
“We're sourcing coffees from Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, and then all the way as far as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Papua New Guinea,” Battagli said.
But it’s not just the coffee or the skill of 416’s staff that keeps people coming back, he added.
“We try to get vibe here, similar to a pub,” Battagli said. “Our regulars, we know them really well. We know what's going on in their life. It's very much like a friendly atmosphere. It's more personal connection than if you go to maybe a big box chain or something like that.”
The coffee bar, located a 1412 Pelham St. (at the corner of Pelham and Church Hill), opened in late November and has proven to be an early hit with locals as well as visitors.
“We opened on Black Friday,” he said, adding the number of people coming through the doors has surpassed expectations.
“A lot of people in this community were already familiar with our brand. They visited Port Dalhousie or one of our other stores. Suddenly, we opened here (and) they were excited about that.”
Customers can also purchase bags of coffee in store to take home or order online at www.416-coffee.com. The 416 Coffee Company is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.
