It all started with soup.
Legend has it that coffee was first discovered by an Ethiopian goat herder around 700 A.D. The story goes that a man named Kaldi noticed that his goats were acting strangely after eating berries which looked similar to cherries but grew on particular bushes. The goats, Kaldi observed, became excited and seemed to dance after eating the berries. The goats became so agitated that they couldn't sleep at night.
Kaldi shared his discovery with a monk from a local monastery who was excited by the prospect of something to keep him awake and alert for long prayer sessions. The monk worked hard to unlock the rejuvenating properties of the cherry, but at one point threw the cherries into the fire out of frustration. The pleasant smoky aroma that followed was produced by what is thought to be the world's first roasted coffee beans. Shortly after discovering the roasted cherry pits and their fragrant aroma, the monk began to create a sort of soup by boiling them in water. Later the roasted pits were ground before boiling, and coffee as we know it was born.
The story of Kaldi, the monk and the dancing goats cannot be verified and endures only as a legend. What is for certain is that coffee originated in Ethiopia many years ago. It is estimated that up to two billion people worldwide enjoy coffee every day. Making it the most consumed beverage on the planet.
Like the coffee we know and love, RŌ_ST also started with soup!
Rondot + Stewart are friends from the historic Walkerville neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario – home to Canada’s early and proud industrial history in whisky distillation and auto manufacturing. They grew up a few blocks from one another, and their shared love of homemade soup led to an idea in high school: What if they could get free homemade soup at school!? So they founded ‘The Soup Club’, and every Monday and Wednesday using the culinary program classroom the boys got to sample the homemade offerings of their fellow student members from every corner of the globe, and took turns making their own storied family recipes.
Fast forward 30 years when that love of new flavours led the boys to coffee, and RŌ_ST was born. From Indonesia to Ethiopia, Hawaii to South America, The Rondot + Stewart Coffee Company has flavours from around the world that will enrich your coffee experience. Try any of our RŌ_ST brands and you will agree that a good day starts with a great coffee, and a great coffee starts with two old friends from Walkerville.
