Nelson Jon Meyer
Jon Meyer is passionate about everything he does in life—including his work—making Oso Negro an exceptional roastery.
| Name: | Jon Meyer |
| Business: | Oso Negro |
| Year in business: | 14 |
| Grew up in: | Montreal, Quebec |
| Downtime activities: | Gardening, bicycling, kayaking, backcountry skiing, running |
Living passionately and honestly—and truly appreciating a great cup of coffee—has given Jon Meyer the necessary inspiration to create and expand his business, Oso Negro Coffee.
Meyer didn’t start out his professional life with a desire to own his own business. He originally worked in forestry and social services. As he began to appreciate the superiority in flavour and quality of freshly roasted coffee, Meyer also noticed the dearth of roasteries in Nelson, so he decided to fill that void. His first year and a half in business was mainly an exercise in education—for himself and his customers—but Meyer grew in confidence and experience, learning to bring out hidden depths and flavours in the coffee.
“The physical act of roasting is very simple,” said Meyer. “What took me longer was to understand the nature of individuality of all the different coffee beans. I roast coffee from 17 different countries and regions, and as a result there are a lot of nuances and characteristics that can get highlighted at different roast levels.”
Meyer’s enthusiasm for the art of roasting extends into his philosophy of life.
“It’s all about passion and trying to express an appreciation for what you do and trying to convey that to the customer,” he said. “Life’s short…and it’s so much more fun to take the time—as short as it may be—to have a good cup of espresso.“
The café often serves 1,000 people in one day. Considering the population of Nelson is around 10,000, it would seem that there are a lot of people who agree with Meyer’s philosophy.
Photo by Douglas Noblet
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