ETHICA COFFEE ROASTERS Turn Your Passion into a Project!
ETHICA COFFEE ROASTERS
Turn Your Passion into a Project!
It was another balmy day in West Palm Beach when Gregory found himself in a local café called Subculture. It was a simple place, nothing fancy. He and his wife were surrounded by the vibes of good music and sounds of a bustling cafe, but a bustle with the calm of a space in creative flow, a space that knows its community well.
Photo by Sasha Zvereva.
He was happy to see a lot of his favourite books on the shelf and had this innate feeling that this the type of place he would always come back to, a place to be leave satisfied – he was inspired.
But there was one book in particular that was not on the shelf. It was one called The Ethics, or in the Latin in which it was written, Ethica. Gregory read this book back in his twenties, but it was not until around ten years later when he picked it up for a second time and found a completely different perspective.
I can’t blame his twenty-something self, The Ethics is not a light read by any means, but though this philosophical treatise by Benedictus de Spinoza was put on paper back in the 1600’s, the concepts of happiness and balance really resonated with Gregory over 300 years later.
Gregory, born in Russia and having grown up in Israel, was working on food and beverage projects between the two countries for many years, and inspired by his latest experiences with specialty coffee and with a vision renewed by Ethica, he was ready to dive into a new project with his passion at the forefront.
When you walk into his space up on Sterling Road just outside of downtown Toronto, you can feel that passion right away. Though subtle, the posters on the walls and positioning of a big coffee roaster in the front window speaks to what this place is all about. It is here that you discover the art and science of coffee and the community it brings together.
Why Toronto? – I asked him.
“Canada is a place where you can bring your ideas and create something. It’s different, in a good way. There’s a lot of respect within the community and everyone supports each other.”
As you walk up the first few steps and to the left, you find an old-school typewriter open for anyone to write a note, a poem, a love letter and put it in an envelope for the staff to send away for you. As you look around, you will see stacks of burlap coffee bags from around the world and old wooden bread boxes from the 1920’s to sit on – you may even spot one that says dynamite on the side where coffee is stored. Greg likes to have a bit of fun.
You make your way to the counter, and the staff are in their flow pulling shots on the La Marzocco KB90 espresso machine and twirling pour-over coffees. You are greeted with a knowing smile.
“I think a smile is the best weapon against anything,”
After that profound visit to Subculture Coffee in Florida, Gregory decided to start traveling the world, and this time, he traveled with intention. He crossed Europe, visited parts of Africa, and explored the US and Canada.
Similar to my journey as The Nomad Barista, Gregory explored many different coffeeshops all over the world – observing, tasting, asking questions. It was during this time that he really solidified his revelation about cafés around the world.
“They all have coffee, but it’s about the experience they provide, their ideologies, and the atmosphere. This is not something you can buy.”
Ethica was therefore designed as a place to connect with different cultures and nations, and one of their goals is to eventually host people from coffee origins or other parts of the world to share their experiences with coffee, to give talks, to really engage with those in the community. Ethica is a living, breathing place to roast, to drink, and to rest.
“It’s about much more than just coffee beans.”
Alluding to the solid mix of creative studios and agencies in the surrounding building spaces, Gregory phrases it as a "high voltage energy creative place."
NOW, WHAT ABOUT THE COFFEE!
On bar, they have two espresso grinders for a choice of two natural process coffees from either The Americas or from Africa. In terms of filter coffee, they have four different coffees available at any given time including one natural process and the rest either honey or washed processes.
Most importantly, the vision at Ethica is to make coffee approachable to anyone, not only one specific type of tastebuds or ideologies.
“I want to give everything a chance without stereotypes,” says Gregory. “If it’s a Geisha, great. If it’s from India and no one’s ever heard of it, that’s great too.”
Their coffee does not have a Fair-trade sticker or claim to be all-organic, but the exciting part of working in specialty coffee for Gregory is the direct connections that result from knowing exactly where the coffee is coming from, how it has been grown, and how much the producer has really been paid.
It is all about the relationships.
At Ethica, they have also focused on nurturing relationships with those he works with. They have set their sights on finding staff from diverse backgrounds who really have a passion for coffee, and this is evident from the moment you walk through the doors. During the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Gregory originally felt that he had to layoff three of his staff, but it was a decision that he quickly regretted. He knew that he could be more responsible as an employer and has since hired them all back.
Photo by Sasha Zvereva.
SIGNATURE DRINK MENU
Signature Drinks are one of the things in the coffee industry that I am particularly excited about recently, and they have a few on the menu at Ethica that are definitely worth trying out.
For those with a sweet tooth, the Raf Coffee is a popular drink in parts of Eastern Europe and it contains a sweet cream, espresso, vanilla, and brown sugar.
Photo by Sasha Zvereva.
For the more traditional types, their classic espresso tonic – ice, espresso, and tonic water as the name suggests – solid and refreshing.
For those who want to get a bit groovy, The Bumble is a mix of raspberry syrup, fresh orange juice, and coldbrew coffee all poured over ice.
FRESH ROASTED COFFEE!
Greg had taken roasting and green buying courses back in Russia before eventually settling on Toronto as the homebase for Ethica, and he now roasts all of his coffee on a Giesen Roaster. He calls it a bridge from traditional to the future – it looks vintage and has a lot of characters from older roasters but has been modernized over the years and it suits his roasting style.
But he has been bringing in one coffee in particular that has really put his roasting abilities to the test.
“I’ve been working with Mokha King to import coffee from Yemen, and honestly, it’s hard to roast, but the struggle is really helping me to learn how to roast better.”
The coffee is also really, really good. And if you are familiar with coffee from Yemen, you will know that there are many struggles there as well, but there is also long and strong history of coffee in the region, and Gregory is happy to share that with people through his roasts.
HE TURNED HIS PASSION INTO A PROJECT
Coffee has always been more than just coffee, and it is so evident that Gregory has taken this ethos to the next level in the development of Ethica Coffee. He turned his passion into a project and created a place that can inspire anyone.
Ethica Coffee is a place where people can come to find solitude or good company, express themselves through art and conversations, and of course dive deeper into the ever-unraveling world of coffee.
Thanks for having me, Gregory!
Check out their Instagram to follow along, and their Website to snatch some great coffee!
FOOTNOTES
Cover photo by Britney Townsend.