ZAB Coffee Roaster, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Account
0

The beginnings

ZAB Named in honour of Elizabeth.

After several years working in the restaurant and coffee industry, it was in 2013 that Edwin had the idea of becoming a roaster. The idea was born from the desire for a greater offering of specialty coffee roasted here in Quebec — which led to the creation of Zab, named in honour of his mother, Elizabeth. Edwin's passion for coffee grew while he was working in Montreal's hotel industry, where he noticed there were few local options for specialty coffee.

In February 2016, after earning a coffee roasting certification from Coffee Lab International in Vermont, he returned to Montreal and focused his efforts on a long series of roasting tests. The first Zab coffee came out in August 2016. During the first year, Edwin was the only employee — with the precious help of his girlfriend Cynthia. In 2017, the first employee, Marc-Étienne, was hired. Still part of our team today, he is now a full-time graphic designer.

2016

2017 → 2022 Zab and Paquebot, from Montreal to Gaspé

From Montreal to Gaspé

ZAB + PAQ One merger, four Paquebots.

One of Zab's first partners was the Paquebot café on Bélanger Street. Spending time with its two founders, Samuel and Simon-Louis, the three became friends. The shared vision and values of the three entrepreneurs led to the merger of their businesses in 2017. They went on to open a second Paquebot in the former Café Plume, on Mont-Royal Avenue. In 2018, the third Paquebot opened its doors in Old Montreal.

In 2020, the team opened a small space at the corner of Saint-Denis and Bellechasse, intended to be a training centre and office. That space became ZAB Café in the spring of 2021. At the end of summer 2021, the fourth Paquebot opened its doors in Gaspé. Zab's continued growth led to the creation of a new roasting facility in Parc-Extension in 2022, which also became a coffee lab and training centre.

Focusing on ZAB

A change of course Paquebot changes captains.

In 2025, Samuel, Simon-Louis and Edwin chose to pass the torch of the Montreal Paquebot cafés to devote themselves to Zab and Cafélimo. Their dearest wish? That Paquebot would remain in good hands. And that's exactly what happened: the project was entrusted to Mathieu and Yannick, two long-time allies, invested from the very beginning and dearly loved.

Today, Paquebot has new captains, but the adventure continues in the same direction.

2025

Today

Caffeinating positively

Full steam ahead Quality at the heart of everything.

Our passion for great coffee and our commitment to quality remain at the heart of everything we do. We believe in using our platform to promote progress and equality. We were named Roaster of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019, as well as Established Coffee Roaster of the Year in 2020, 2022 and 2024 at the Th3rdwave Awards.

Through initiatives such as "Main dans la Main" and "Retour à l'origine", we engage with our community and support causes close to our heart.