Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb met as lab partners in a digital circuits class at the University of Calgary in 1996, while studying engineering. They opened Phil & Sebastian at the Calgary Farmers’ Market on 30 March 2007, after taking over an existing coffee counter there, with a three-group La Marzocco FB-80 and a Clover by-the-cup brewer, one of three in Canada at the time. Before opening, Phil spent eight months in Vancouver working in cafés. Today Phil travels to Africa to buy green coffee and Sebastian to Central and South America.

In summer 2017 the roastery moved from a warehouse in East Inglewood to the Simmons Building, a former mattress factory overlooking the river in East Village, so the public could see the work. Its centrepiece is a 45 kg roaster Phil spent almost three years building from the body of a 1961 Probat G45, keeping the drum and cooling tray and redesigning the burner, motors, venting, electronics and control software himself. Every roast is data-logged and verified in triplicate with a laser reflectometer, and the team cups blind, often double-blind. The Simmons Building also holds the head office, the training lab where café baristas spend months in one-on-one training before serving, and a concept café whose pastry case is stocked by the bakery next door in the same building.

The aim is “radical consistency”: long relationships with producers, feedback to them every season, frozen storage of green coffee, and by-the-cup coffees brewed on the TONE 3 brewer with each roasted coffee frozen to hold its dial. The cafés serve coffee of the same quality as the online shop and wholesale.

There are nine cafés across Calgary, from Marda Loop, Mission, Bridgeland and Seton to Chinook Centre, Calgary Farmers’ Market West and two downtown locations. Mission pays homage to espresso’s Italian heritage with teak panels, marble counters and mid-century Italian lighting. Most cafés serve Hoopla Donuts, Phil & Sebastian’s own doughnuts, and bagels from Deputy Bagel.

At the 2026 Global Coffee Awards, judged blind in Houston, Phil & Sebastian was named Overall National Winner for Canada, with five coffees taking six awards across espresso, filter and milk drinks.

Locations

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  1. Simmons618 Confluence Way SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0G1East VillageOpen in Google Maps
  2. Marda Loop2043 33rd Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T 1Z5Marda LoopOpen in Google Maps
  3. Chinook Centre6455 Macleod Trail SW, Calgary, AB T2H 0K8Open in Google Maps
  4. Mission2207 4th Street SW, Calgary, AB T2S 1X1MissionOpen in Google Maps
  5. Calgary Farmers' Market West25 Greenbriar Drive NW, Calgary, AB T3B 5X4GreenbriarOpen in Google Maps
  6. Bridgeland69 7a Street NE, Calgary, AB T2E 4E4BridgelandOpen in Google Maps
  7. Stephen Avenue Place+15 Level, 225 7th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2P 2W2DowntownOpen in Google Maps
  8. Calgary Place#248, 414 3rd St SW, Calgary, AB T2P 1R2DowntownOpen in Google Maps
  9. Seton3980 Market St SE, Calgary, AB T3M 2P2SetonOpen in Google Maps

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters