Welcome to Switchback Coffee! I'm Graeme, it's great to meet you.

I started in the coffee industry as a barista with Starbucks in 2001 and made my way to District Manager in 2006, when Starbucks initiated an incentive to sell more at-home espresso machines through a North America-wide sales competition. The prize: a choice between $1000 cash or a week in Costa Rica visiting coffee farms and the Latin America Coffee Agronomy Centre. Being just a little competitive, I worked hard to sell the most espresso machines of any Starbucks store in Canada, winning the competition for Canada. A no-brainer for which prize I would choose. 

Eventually I took some time away from the coffee industry, but always missed it. In my hiatus I worked various jobs and increasingly felt a disconnection with community that only coffee shops can create, bonding over a hot cup of coffee with new and old friends.

Little did I know that 15 years later that this trip touring Costa Rica, visiting coffee farms, and learning first hand about the entire process from farm to cup would later transform my career (and life) and help me create what we know today as Hullabaloo and Switchback Coffee…

Hullabaloo was born at the incredible West Saanich Red Barn to disrupt the local coffee scene and add some fun, flair, and ice cream! We started using other great local coffee providers from the island and eventually we grew the capacity to start roasting our own beans.

I purchased a coffee roaster from a dear friend in Port Renfrew, made some connections with local green coffee suppliers on the island, and started roasting coffee in my garage in a popcorn pot on the stove. The Junction Orchard made a home for us to roast our coffee, and in 2026 we're excited to open our own little Switchback Cafe.

At Switchback Coffee, we believe that it's about more than coffee. Coffee nurtures gathering and fosters connections. Coffee can inspire you to get out there and tackle whatever summits lie ahead. That's why we patiently craft-roast green coffee beans in small-batches in an effort to bring you the best coffee, creating experiences as unique as the wild West Coast.

It's been a wild and wonderful 5 years with my incredible team and can't wait for you to enjoy our coffee with your friends and family.

Thanks for joining us,
Graeme