Mike Wenzlawe knows firsthand how tough it is out fighting the flames on the fire lines.
Wenzlawe and his business partner, Jamie Parker, founded the Calgary Heritage Roasting Company (CHRC) after working together fighting wildfires.
“We fought fire a lot in northern Alberta, B.C and even the Northwest Territories,” Wenzlawe said.
It was their experiences making coffee while doing that work that led to the two men starting their coffee roasting business.
“We would have long stints of time on the fire lines out in the bush and one of the ways we could break up some of the grind of those days was roasting up some coffee in a cast iron pan on the fire line and using it as a morale-boosting technique for crews,” Wenzlawe said.
When he and Parker opened their roastery and coffee shop in southeast Calgary, he said they had one key principle in mind: “Our love of the outdoors.”
CHRC has been donating proceeds from sales of its coffees, such as “Burnt Timber,” to support conservation efforts.
“For every bag purchased, it plants a tree on Canadian soil,” Wenzlawe said. “In the last three years we’ve planted over 101,000 trees in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba.”
CHRC also donates money to support Red Cross relief programs for people in area hit by wildfires.
“It’s not easy losing your home or having to be evacuated,” Wenzlawe said. “And we really feel for them.”