Lost Aviator Coffee Company was founded in July of 2020 and officially launched operations in October 2020. They operate a large roastery and full-service coffee bar in Guelph’s iconic St. Patrick Ward neighborhood. Their current offerings include coffee, apparel, gear, and subscriptions.
Lost Aviator Coffee Company is located at 404 York Road.
Steve Zago and Adam Wright, owners of Lost Aviator Coffee Company
Steve Zago and Adam Wright have been friends for more than 15 years. They are both pilots and have flown together with various aviation companies. As career pilots, they bring a passion for aviation into their business venture.
Steve was born and raised in Guelph, not too far from their current location and Adam moved to Guelph at Steve’s suggestion after being hired for his current job with a major airline. Viewing the earth from the skies has provided a new perspective for both Steve and Adam which has helped them gain an appreciation for our planet. They keep sustainability and ethical sourcing top of mind when making all business decisions. They chose to invest in Guelph because both owners are “in love with the amazing Guelph community, especially The Ward.”
Steve and Adam love Guelph and support the community as much as possible. They have partnered with a number of local charities and organizations to assist in fundraising, including: Wyndham House, Guelph Black Heritage Society, Hope House Guelph, The Guelph Games and many others.
Their ultimate goal is to “provide you a captivating start to your day (or night), with the knowledge that we are support direct trade local farmers, and the environment.”
Business background
Lost Aviator Coffee Company launched operations in October of 2020. In April 2020 with the COVID-19 Pandemic taking hold all over the world, both Adam and Steve lost their jobs when the airline they both work for grounded its fleet for more than a year. With the newfound time, they wanted to build something they could call their own and infuse it with their passion for airplanes. The idea of Lost Aviator Coffee Company was then born.
They began as a small coffee roaster in the basement of With the Grain Bakery, producing small batch high quality coffee for online retail and wholesale through local retail partners. In February 2022, they expanded their operation to a larger roastery and full-service coffee bar in Guelph’s iconic St. Patrick Ward neighborhood.
When asked why it’s important to support local, Steve responded, “The local economy is what affects us most in our community. It directly employs your friends and neighbours, pays taxes that pave your streets, and produces a product close to the source of consumption which are all value adds to any city. Even in our business we strive to be as local as possible with our product sourcing, from honey, to milk to our merchandise we keep our business as close to home as possible.”
We also asked what makes Lost Aviator Coffee Company unique.
“One thing that is unique about our business is that we roast on a fluid bed style roaster which is an air roaster that evenly and efficiently heats the beans and removes the skin of the bean,” replied Adam. “Less than five per cent of coffee roasters use this method and the results are fantastic. In addition, all our branding is influenced heavily from our love of classic aviation themes, down to the branding of our coffees with astral names that share names with famous classic aircraft.”
The company’s future plans include continuing to build out their coffee roasting operation at 404 York Road. The Coffee bar is growing well and they are going to place a focus on continuing to grow their online retail and wholesale side of the business. In a couple years they would like to open multiple locations throughout the golden triangle and possibly expand to the United States.
Visit the Lost Aviator Coffee Company website to learn more about their great selection of sustainably and ethically sourced coffee locally roasted right here in Ontario.
Guelph Shops was launched to help businesses like Lost Aviator Coffee Company thrive and encourage our community to support local. If your business is interested in a Guelph Shops business spotlight, please reach out directly to [email protected].
All information within has been verified by Lost Aviator Coffee Company.