Our Story
It all started in a garage...
...just like Nirvana, just like Apple Computers.
Ok, maybe not just like those guys. Nonetheless, our story is still pretty interesting. Founder and head roaster Brandon Litun started roasting coffee in the Fraser Valley BC in 2015. In his garage. With a popcorn popper. It was a way to decompress after a hard day's work as a social worker.
Turns out, he was pretty good at it and it was incredibly therapeutic. Soon, friends and family started asking to try the beans he was roasting. That evolved into a legit business selling bags of coffee to local cafes and gift shops.
In 2021, we opened our Chilliwack Cafe and things took off from there! Today, we are still 100% Canadian owned and independently operated in the Fraser Valley, BC on the unceded territory of the S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō) people and the Pelólxw Tribe. We ship our beans to coffee lovers across Canada and beyond and we work with nearly 80 wholesale partners across Canada.
Check out the video below featuring Brandon himself telling the SG Story.
Want more SG? Check out our Blog or join the SG Community!
Read the video transcript
[Music]
What was the birth of Smoking Gun remains our focus, which is connection. That's the magic of coffee: when you infuse it with connection, that's when magic starts happening.
We opened this space three years ago, almost exactly, in beautiful downtown Chilliwack. Opening our café in the middle of 2020, I think there was a heightened need. Everyone suddenly realized how much they needed that connection.
It was a side hustle for a long time. We started roasting for shops, and it just kept snowballing.
The team at Smoking Gun is truly the strength of this coffee company. One of the most rewarding parts of this job is doing it with such beautiful humans.
My wife and I are in this together. She handles all of our merch and does a lot of our staff development. We have three wonderful kids who are in here often. Our staff have rallied around this idea of connection.
Coffee roasting is so therapeutic because it's so sensory, so dynamic, and also wildly scientific. Our roasting team is small but mighty. They're dedicated to putting the best products possible out the door.
We've really used our slogan, Coffee For All, as a bit of a guide, not only for the decisions we make but also for the things we offer to people. So from whole bean coffee, we've expanded into instant coffee and pre-ground coffee. People have gotten really into our merch, T-shirts and sweaters.
We want folks who interact with Smoking Gun, whether it be walking through our door here or landing on our homepage, to feel that intention of connection. We wanted to try and bring a little element of humanity into the e-commerce world.
Camp Smoking Gun is a big project that we launched. It's a virtual, online blind coffee tasting. Every week we send you an email that reveals what it actually is, but also a lot of fun videos featuring Brandon at his best.
I have fallen in love with this city. I think it is such a unique environment to be in small business. The best advice that I've been given as a small business owner is that the rising tide lifts all boats. People are here not just for themselves. They're here for each other, and they're here for the community.
Being in District 1881 has been really phenomenal. It really is community over competition, so we get to support each other.
It means everything to be able to interact with the staff and with the community and customers who flow through here. It sort of feels like it has a life of its own, and I'm just so grateful to be a part of the ride.
