Interview with Dean Petty, Co-founder & Harley Shea, Head Roaster
If you had to describe Anchored in three words, what three words would they be?
DP. Approachable, fun-loving, and dynamic. Fun-loving is at the root of it, though–even our space evokes that. Things just seem to taste better in our space because we’ve put a lot of effort into keeping up the good vibes!
HS. Personable, fun, and real. Our team gets along very well, and we all have the same goal in mind of roasting good coffee that everyone can enjoy.
DP. Pretty simple mission here!
How would you describe Anchored’s sourcing philosophy?
DP. When sourcing coffees, we are always looking for balance and cleanliness in the cup, along with a level of comfort. We’re not a roaster that’s pushing the edge of how light we can take coffee. We are an approachable group of people here, and we’re trying to roast and source as a roastery that is welcome to everyone. You can always expect clean, balanced and approachable coffees across our menu.
We also try to work as closely as we can with producers, while also making decisions that help us stay in business. We source ethically while trying to find coffees that fit our menu. Going to origin is when this mission becomes much closer to you. There are so many people who need to be paid in every step, from farm-level all the way to the barista and coffees on our retail shelves.
How has the reception of specialty coffee changed over the 11 years you’ve been in business in Dartmouth, NS?
DP. It’s grown a lot. I think we’re actually really lucky to be tucked away out here because it’s really empowered us to learn at our own pace, which has allowed us to be who we are now. We have definitely been working really hard out here to get to where we’re at, and we’re really proud of that. Our local bubble is now quite educated on specialty coffee and it’s been so fun to grow a network of people who are knowledgeable about what it takes to have good coffee.
Harley, what do you love most about your job as head roaster at Anchored?
HS. When I first started learning to roast, I fell in love with the process of learning, not just about roasting, but everything on the ground level from sourcing, farming, and everything in between.
My favourite thing about working here is the team that we have. We all get along really well, and it’s important to have good people around you in life.
You guys have had some pretty epic collaborations recently with Matty Matheson and Brad Leone. How did they come about, and can you tell us more about them?
DP. That stuff grew organically! I met Matty back in the day when he was filming his first bite show out here, and we kind of just hit it off as two bumblebee-like humans. This was before Matty was Matty– he’s now become a huge celebrity. Creating Rink Drink with him was not by any means a stepping stone for him. We were just two friends making this coffee together while he was ascending to stardome, while us at Anchored were just sort of hanging on behind him. It’s a bit surreal now because he’s a full-on celebrity and we’re a tiny little coffee roastery in Nova Scotia, but I am forever grateful for the connection and community we’ve built through these collaborations.
I met Brad Leone through Matty, and again, it was a similar process. Coffee is a really fun way to express and have a little one-time vision of a piece of someone. You get to express so much on the bag; tell a story and create a blend that is akin to that person. Through our collaborations, we've worked with other brands and artists, which has been a lot of fun.
I went to Mexico with Brad and we did a farm-specific visit and he did a really fantastic job of showcasing coffee production at the farm level, and we actually purchased a lot of coffee and followed the coffee from Mexico to the roastery. Brad’s work on these videos gives people an idea of how many people touch a single coffee seed before it’s even in your cappuccino– it should honestly be $10 a cup, but we’re working on it.
I think having these collabs with big personalities out in the world can help advocate for specialty coffee and just coffee in general– thinking of it a little more like wine, something with a touch more value associated with it.
Karen Duong
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