Although my focus on Destination Adventure is Remote Travel, meeting fascinating people is what I enjoy the most. I have had some great characters on this show, and this week is no exception. I met Amelie, shortly after arriving to town, when we went into Kershaws Cafe to grab a coffee. The energy in that little cafe was so alive, you can't help but feel like you are welcomed into someones home. Working in a Cafe can be a lot of fun, but it isn't the type of job most are thrilled to wake up for, but that was clearly not the case at Kershaws. We placed our orders, and while they got busy fixing some tasty drinks I got busy asking questions. Soon the puzzle pieces came together as Amelie explained to me how she had recently purchased Kershaws Cafe. We shared some great conversations, and it was an easy decision to explain why I was in town and ask if she would like to get involved in the project. It was an excited yes, and phase one of the Atlin Project was under way. We had arranged the interview for three days later, and it was a delight getting to come back and learn more of their story. Atlin is not the kind of place I expected to find a young woman pursuing a business such as this, but her passion for the project seems to draw in customers with ease. With such a small population, it takes a strong community to make any business successful, and the people of Atlin are behind each other all the way. For example, Amelie was quite excited to tell me about the coffee that is made specific for Kershaws, because it is made by another company in town, Atlin Mountain Coffee Roasters. She told me about their off grid lifestyle and their completely off grid coffee roasting operation. And just like that, my story had turned into two.
It was obvious right away that I needed to try and arrange a meeting with the Coffee Company, but before I even had time to track them down, my inbox notified me of a special surprise, and invitation from Atlin Mountain Coffee Roasters. I arrived up with no expectations, which is good because if I had any, they would have been blown out of the water. The home, lifestyle and business ran by the Brient family, is only achievable by someone with a tremendous amount of dedication and talent. To live off grid, you have to be very creative in as many ways as possible. How to heat, how to cool, how to get and store water, how to generate and store electricity, the list goes on and on. But to find a way to run a business off grid as well, is a winning combination few can ever achieve. Roasting Coffee, is a business I had never even though into, so getting to learn about it first hand was a great experience. For something that many of us drink daily, and without even consideration, there is a lot of steps in the process prior to the cup. Roasting is one of the final stages, but certainly one of the most important. The way the coffee is roasted greatly determines the flavour, the colour, and the quality. Like most thing cooked over a fire, fire roasted coffee is just better. It may require more work, and a close eye, but Philippe can roast batch after batch to absolute perfection, like a well oiled machine. The Brient family was incredibly accommodating, helping with all I needed for my video project, as well as helping with some future adventure plans in the area.
Big thank you to both Amelie and the Brient family for helping make this video possible.
Kershaws: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558404426213&paipv=0&eav=AfaZfwAXhDQn3OiCyCFeRi7LRwRTdOkCHofDFVBjesJIBv0Q2SBBkzMwvZ95KZs54rc
Atlin Mountain Coffee Roasters: https://www.atlinmountaincoffee.com/collections/all
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