Approved Coffee Roasters — Canada's Artisan Third-Wave Standard

We have never played favourites — but we do maintain a list of coffee roasters that meet our internal criteria for third-wave artisan standards. This list exists to publicize and reward roaster businesses that uphold the banner of craft coffee.

The standard is Canadian. The list is open to the world. CBI Approval was written here, is governed here, and carries the name of a Canadian institute — but a roaster in Portland or Melbourne who meets it is as approved as a roaster in Prince George. We would like “meets the Canadian standard” to mean something to a coffee drinker anywhere, the way it already does for a few other coffee countries.

Just to be clear: we don't sell coffee and receive nothing in the form of kickbacks, commissions, or political favours for maintaining this list. We simply want café owners and coffee lovers to spend their money on genuinely great coffee — and this list is genuinely great coffee.

The biggest question we get from new and established café owners is which coffee roaster should they carry — for retail whole bean, batch brew, and espresso. This list is our honest answer.

This is a selective list. Roasters can be removed when found not to be upholding the standard. If you believe a roaster on this list no longer qualifies, contact us directly. We will never publicize rejections — all results are held in full confidence. Removal decisions are made by the Approved Business Committee, made up of coffee professional peers, by formal vote.

What Approval Requires

Every roaster on this list has affirmed that they operate to the following:

  • Specialty-grade 100% Arabica coffee (80+ on the original cupping system)
  • Clearly identifiable roast dates on retail and wholesale coffee
  • Current crop-year green coffee
  • Honest sourcing and brewing practices, without marketing language standing in for quality

22 approved roasters. Last reviewed: October 2026.

Interested in becoming CBI Approved? → Review the standards and submit your application here

📍 View all approved roasters on a map

Jump to: British Columbia · Alberta · Manitoba · Ontario · Quebec · Northwest Territories · Yukon

Canada

British Columbia

Alberta

Manitoba

Ontario

Quebec

Northwest Territories

Yukon Territory

Where We Don't Yet Have a Roaster

The bar does not move with the border. Current-crop green coffee, specialty-grade 100% Arabica, a roast date on every bag, and sourcing you can explain honestly to a customer — the same in Halifax, Portland, or Melbourne.

Every roaster on this list is currently in Canada, for the simple reason that Canada is where our labs and our graduates are, and so far that is who has applied. Within Canada we have nobody yet in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador, or Nunavut. Outside Canada the list is open and empty.

If you roast to this standard, wherever you are, we would like to hear from you.

The Other Approved Lists

This page covers roasters only. You can also browse our Approved Cafés, Bakeries & Coffee-Serving Establishments and our Approved Partners.

Become a CBI Approved Roaster

If you are an artisan coffee roaster and believe your product meets the Canadian third-wave standard, we invite you to apply — wherever in the world you roast. The process is rigorous, the list is selective, and approval carries real weight with café owners who trust CBI's recommendations. Review the standards and apply here.