They stepped out of the kitchen and service, but carried everything they loved about hospitality with them.

Ben and Terra came from fast-paced, high-end restaurant life - sharp knives, late nights, and no time to slow down. When their son was just one year old, they traded that rhythm for something more grounded. They bought a café with a roaster in the back and began building a different kind of life, one batch at a time.

They believed café-quality coffee belonged on grocery shelves. And in 2006, when that wasn’t considered possible or acceptable (yes, ‘coffee snob’ could have been coined in the Pacific Northwest), they set out to prove it could be done. One-pound bags. Daily quality control. No warehouse shortcuts. They showed up with the precision and care of their restaurant days, but stayed grounded like neighbours.

Fernwood grew shelf by shelf, always on their terms. From local butcher shops to national grocers, from mom-and-pop cafés to e-commerce subscriptions, they’ve kept the process close and the relationships closer. The day their daughter Keiko was born, their first custom-printed bags arrived - a moment that quietly marked the start of something big.

They’ve served safe houses and street corners, judged barista competitions, and explained “what’s a dark roast?” with the same humility and care for the moment it’s all for - whether it’s brewed on a campsite, a kitchen counter, or the back of a boat.

Because great coffee should feel like home.