Kujira, it’s whale in Japanese. Gabriel Comtois and Maxime Verreault do not have a particular attachment to the large marine mammal, but they love Japan and admire the patient and meticulous approach taken by the craftsmen of the Land of the Rising Sun. This is why their two cafes and their roasting company bear this evocative name.
“It’s an attitude, explains Gabriel Comtois. Japanese roasters are excellent, but you don’t hear them bragging. Everyone does their thing discreetly and moves forward to be better each day than the day before. It matches our values. We evolve slowly and we let people discover us. »
Gabriel Comtois roasted the first beans of Kujira at home, with a small one-pound roaster, while helping to establish DAX coffee in Outremont in 2018. He then increased his production by working with the coffee roaster of five kilos from Café Balance, in Verdun. The first bags were found at Do you want a beer and at the Peluso convenience store.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
A second Café Kujira has just opened in the Technopôle Angus.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
A delight almost ready to be tasted
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Initially, Kujira was a few bags of coffee roasted by Gabriel Comtois.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Kujira works with coffees from several origins, in Africa and Latin America.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Maxime Verreault is now co-owner and roaster of Kujira. Gabriel Comtois spends most of his time in the company’s two cafes.
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Today, Maxime Verreault has taken over the cooking and the company rents equipment from Torréfaction Québec, near the Central Market. Gabriel Comtois is more dedicated to the smooth running of the two cafes. The first, former Café Sao, is a very small place on Avenue De Lorimier.
The new flagship – which by the way looks a bit like a military ship, with its very angular architecture – opened in January, in the Technopôle Angus. It’s not easy to get there at the moment, given the work in progress in front of the room, but once you find the entrance, wow! On two levels, the space is vast and bright.
We are welcomed by the barista station, designed to optimize travel. It prepares the whole range of caffeinated drinks based on espresso and other hot and cold drinks that are essential today. The filter was particularly fruity and energizing as we went.
At the counter, it’s easy to see at a glance what there is to eat, whether it’s the beautiful sandwiches on bread from the Guillaume bakery or the generous selection of pastries. On the wall opposite, the coffees of the moment are ready to go (you can also order your beans on the site). In short, there is everything you need to last forever here, whether it’s breakfast, dinner or a break, or all of these options!
4250 Augustin-Frigon Street, Montreal