One of Canada’s few floating coffee roasteries means that cottagers on Lake of the Woods can get their caffeine fix in a decidedly “living the lake life” way. Jeremy Brown had been roasting coffee in his garage as a hobby for a few years when he acquired his 52-foot houseboat as a pandemic project in 2020. He decided to combine his love of coffee with his love of the lake—the latter was instilled in him during a Métis youth voyageur canoe expedition, and his years as a fishing, canoeing, and kayak guide. Thanks to his skills as an HVAC mechanic, he installed a commercial roaster aboard the houseboat, and Nautical Coffee was born.
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During the summer, Brown pilots the houseboat around to different bays, docks, and moorings in the Kenora, Ont., area. Patrons boat or paddleboard up to the floating roastery to buy bags of beans or, drive-thru style, pick up a freshly brewed cup of joe. He also sells scoops of Nucci’s gelato (a beloved Winnipeg treat), and, occasionally, he books a couple of acoustic musicians to play on the top deck. His customers love it. “One cottager was so excited—she said she’d been on the lake since she was a teenager, and she always wished for something like this—a coffee shop on the water,” says Brown.
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Now, Brown has expanded to selling his beans at a variety of businesses in northwestern Ontario and online. Why is his coffee such a hit? Brown thinks the roasting location makes the beans taste extra-delicious. He uses a Sivetz “fluid bed” air roaster, which bathes the beans in air that’s drawn from outside. “It’s fresh, off-the-lake air, and I believe it makes a big difference. It’s smoother coffee,” he says. And, of course, a houseboat roastery is fun. “I create an experience for people. They come out and they enjoy a day on the water. I hope that in the dead of winter, they see a bag of Nautical Coffee and it takes them back to that day.”
This article was originally published in the May 2024 issue of Cottage Life.
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