Phil & Sebastian

Phil & Sebastian was founded in Calgary in 2007 by Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb. Robertson, an engineer, designed the company's one-of-a-kind roasting machine and the software that runs much of the business, from order fulfilment to the coffee menus; he manages quality control and roasting and buys green coffee in Africa, while Sztabzyb buys in Central and South America and runs the cafés. The company says it pays well above the industry average for its green coffee and invests in projects at origin. Its menu has two halves: a Core range of flavour-led coffees whose origin changes through the year (Smooth Operator, Lilac Dream, the espressos), and the Spotlight series of named producers' lots. This index follows the Spotlight series.