Interview with Chloe Tong, Co-founder of Foreword Coffee Roasters
Tucked into a 300-square-foot space in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Foreword is a new roaster on the scene with big dreams. We spoke to Foreword's co-founder Chloe Tong about Hong Kong's coffee scene, the value of starting small, and the importance of building a space where baristas can experiment freely.
Can you tell us about your journey into coffee and what brought you to Canada?
We immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong about three years ago. We'd been enjoying coffee for a long time, but the living costs in Hong Kong made it difficult to pursue it professionally. When we arrived in Canada, we saw an opportunity to do something we genuinely loved. The specialty coffee culture here is growing, but it's different from Asia. In Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China, almost every other coffee shop has its own roaster. In Toronto, that's much rarer. We wanted to open the type of coffee shop that allows us to select the coffees we really enjoy, roast the profiles we love, and serve them to the community.
How does the coffee culture in Hong Kong influence your approach at Foreword?
Hong Kong has a very strong tea culture, so people there tend to enjoy super light roasts that are tea-like and higher in acidity. Most of our coffees lean lighter, though we'll roast light-to-medium for some lots. We haven’t tried dark roasts yet, but if I find a coffee that fits it perfectly, I'm definitely open to it. Personally, I think lighter roasts give me more room to create the profiles I enjoy.
What was the process of starting Foreword Coffee like?
We made the decision almost two years ago, about a year into living in Canada. This was our first big investment, so we spent a lot of time planning and understanding Canadian coffee culture. The hardest part was finding a location that would let us roast on-site while also controlling costs. If you visit Foreword, you'll see we're packed into less than 300 square feet. We intentionally started small because it gives us more room to make mistakes and experiment. We'd rather minimize overhead and invest our time and money directly into the coffee itself.
What are you excited about for the future?
Right now, we're working with talented baristas on collaborative events, such as Arthur Chu and Kevin Yip, who are recent Canadian Latte Art Champions,and Debbie Chan who was the first runner-up at Coffee in Good Spirits 2025. In 2026, we want to do more of that. There are so many talented baristas out there who just need a space to experiment and try bold ideas. That's what we want Foreword to be—a place where baristas can push boundaries.
Want to try three new coffees every month?
Take our quiz and you'll receive three new coffees from three new Canadian roasters, freshly roasted just for you!
Change your profile, upgrade or downgrade your sizing, skip a shipment or cancel at any time.
BECOME A SUBSCRIBER
