Today we are very happy to have Lisa from Rocketfuelcoffee.com; she’s up in Canada and sells some of the hardest to find coffees from around the world. A trained artist, all of the packaging is original to Lisa! And, she’s a cigar smoker! So take a minute to get to know Lisa and Rocketfuelcoffee.com. You can visit Rocketfuel online and follow Lisa on Twitter.
All of the artwork in this interview is Lisa’s and can be purchased online!
Oh, and we reviewed her Hawaiian Kona Dark a while back (review) – and we’ve got more to come!
Questions About You:
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Where do you currently live?
I still live in Toronto, not far from my family hom
e. We just purchased a log home about 2 hours north of the city in ski country where Matthew, my husband, and I plan to spend a lot of time relaxing and enjoying ourselves!
How do you enjoy spending your time?
If I am not working on my coffee, I enjoy searching or hanging out up north – Matthew and I collect Canadian modern art. So we comb the galleries around Toronto and search for new artists or established ones and enjoy their work. We also love to entertain. Matthew is an amazing cook!
You’ve made a few career changes – can you describe your journey?
I graduated from The Ontario College of Art and Design, a top Canadian art college, with a degree in graphic design. I worked as a package designer for great firms for many years, then as an account director. I longed for my creative side so I started painting and opened an art gallery and my work sold all over the world. Kind of restless as I am every few years, I started selling antique silver on eBay and learned about online retail. Combine all those skills and I opened an online coffee business a year and a half ago.
What is your favorite medium to work in?
I like painting and illustration. Turning the paintings into things like packaging, cards, and licensed properties for magazines really is what I am all about too.
How would you describe your art and your love for it?
I would say I am an illustrator and a patron of the arts of all forms – music, fine art, movies, culinary, you name it – anything that has a creative idea behind it.
Questions About You and Coffee:
How do you feel that coffee and the arts mix?
In my specific example, the packaging and labels is a huge part of what makes Rocketfuelcoffee.com unique. Everyone comments on how beautiful the coffee looks, and how memorable it is. At holiday time, for gifting, my holiday edition coffees were a huge hit. However, if the product inside did not deliver, it would not matter what the bag looked like.
When did you first get introduced to the joy of coffee?
A couple of years ago Matthew and I went on diets and we were very strict about eating. I started drinking coffee because I was bored. I got hooked on Starbucks coffee because I thought it was the best and there were 4 locations near our house. I did not open Rocketfuelcoffee.com because I was super passionate about coffee. I chose it because it was a business that fit my skills the most.
What is it you most enjoy about great coffee?
Pretty much the same things I enjoy about cigars: aroma and taste.
What are some of your favorite regions for coffee?
Panama has to be up there at the top of my list for beautiful coffees. Smooth and chocolatey, fresh, layers of cinnamon and sometimes hints of fruit in there too. Panama Carmen Estate is just a beauty! Always at the top of the list of course is Jamaican Blue Mountain. So rich and smooth as well, with fruit tones and that hint of citrus.
How much coffee do you drink in a typical day?
I drink quite a bit, especially in the morning. Maybe a few cups before lunch and a couple in the afternoon? I try not to drink coffee late in the day because then it keeps me up at night. But if friends come over I cannot help but serve them coffee, especially if a new bean is in or some fresh Kopi Luwak is around!
How would you describe your palette?
I like a medium/bold coffee, and never a flavored coffee or *gasp* decaf! And it must be fresh or forget it. By fresh I mean whole bean roasted within three weeks of serving; ground, within 4 days.
How did you get involved in the coffee industry?
As I mentioned above, I was looking for a business that used as many of my skills as possible. I found an online coffee business for sale on the internet. I thought, I don’t need to buy this, I can just build it myself. And I did.
When did you first begin roasting your own beans? How has that process evolved for you?
I do not roast my own beans. I have a sommelier equivalent who I refer to by name on the web site, George.
What is it you enjoy most about the coffee industry?
Drinking the coffee that does not sell.
Where did the idea come from to begin your own company?
I was working as a print rep for a close friend, Robert Fawcett, at Fawcettprinting.com. A great guy! Not enough sales for me to fill a day really and I wanted to run my own business. As I mentioned before, I saw an online coffee business for sale on the internet. I worked for Robert for a year while I started up www.rocketfuelcoffee.com, and only a year later did I set out to work on my own at the coffee business full time. My husband Matthew, who is a CEO of a national company and a chartered accountant is my biggest mentor and he keeps me out of trouble!
Questions About You and Cigars:
When did you first get introduced to the joy of cigars?
A few years ago, not sure exactly when, Matthew was given a cigar either at a golf match or maybe we tried one or two on holiday. We loved the aroma and we were trying new experiences, including fine wines. We are interested in learning about art, Scotch, wine and cigars… in depth. Doing things together like this makes us very happy.
What is it you enjoy about a great cigar?
The aroma and taste of a good cigar has to be number one on the list for us. A smooth smoke, with no harsh fumes and freshness has to be up there too, and value for the money (we don’t like to spend a lot at this). Once in a while, like when we were in Vancouver at this wonderful shop that sold cigars and diamonds, we will splurge on one cigar and share it. We sat by the harbor and watched the sea planes come in. That was truly a great cigar moment.
How often do you smoke?
In the summer, we might smoke every other day, in the evening after work, on our back porch. A nice glass of wine, some great blues or jazz and wow, we are set. I have recently become a lover of single malt scotch or bourbon, so a snort of that with a cigar is pretty heavenly. Now not too many women are into this, so if we are in a public place or walking around, folks tend to comment. If we are at a neighbor’s house, they make us sit 10 feet away! Colder season smoking is much rarer.
How would you describe your palette?
I am certainly no expert in this area, so forgive me if I do not describe this correctly. I like a mild to medium cigar, not too floral and my favorite cigars, well smell, well to put it bluntly, like a barn or kind of like manure. Like my coffee… and I am in the rare coffee business, anything flavored, tampered with or stale is gross. The cigar does not have to be a $30 special, but it should be hopefully Cuban, fresh and if possible handmade. My favorites are Romeo y Julieta and Montecristo cigars. When the opportunity arises, we have tried lots of other cigars that have been hand rolled on-site, not sure of the names, and they have been amazing too, so I don’t want you to think I only will smoke these two top brands.
Questions About the Coffee:
How is trial and error involved when you’re roasting a new bean?
Trial and error is not in the roasting… it is in the selecting. I choose my coffees based on a list called New Luxury Items. These are the 10 most expensive coffees in the world. Also my choices are based on success of key word search. I would tell you more tan I would have to, you know.
What is your conviction for your line of coffees?
I have never been convicted of anything. Yet.
How do you feel your coffees are set apart from what other roasters are doing?
The packages look damn great.
When you are considering introducing a new coffee to your line, what is that process like?
I only try coffees that are world famous. I am not interested in testing new anything.
When a customer orders from you, what can they expect?
Excellent service and honest answers about coffee.
Tell us a little about your Black Label coffee.
Rocketfuelcoffee.com Black Label coffees are limited edition varieties that may go in and out of stock because they are so special, so rare, that they are only available in limited quantities. Kopi Luwak, the legendary “cat poop” coffee, is a prime example. Not all Black Labels are over $200 a pound. The recent Queen Kong Nyeri from Kenya is only $20/half pound, but when it is gone, it’s gone.
What is your favorite coffee?
Depends on my fussy mood. Right now I am into Hawaiian Kona. Ask me again tomorrow.
Describe the perfect day for you.
Are you kidding? I sell $50 a pound coffee for a living. Every day is perfect.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Buy my coffees and your days will be perfect too. That is all. xo
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