Twiggs founder named Northern Ontario’s Entrepreneur of the Year

By Sam Laskaris

SAULT STE. MARIE – A successful northern Ontario family business has captured yet another award.

Jennifer Twigg, the founder of Twiggs Coffee Roasters, was presented with the Entrepreneur of the Year accolade at the Northern Ontario Business Awards (NOBA) ceremony on Sept. 27 at the Quattro Hotel and Conference Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.

Twigg, a member of Nipissing First Nation, started her business back in 1995 with a single North Bay location.

“We were actually living on the west coast of British Columbia and we discovered the coffee rage out there in the mid 90s,” Twigg said. “We thought this type of thing would be a good job in northern Ontario and specifically North Bay where we wanted to settle.”

These days, Twiggs Coffee Roasters consists of four stores in northern Ontario; two in North Bay, one in Sturgeon Falls, and one in Sudbury.

Seven family members are now involved in the business, including all three of Twigg’s sons.

Matthew Twigg, formerly a master electrician, now operates the original North Bay franchise with his wife Laura.

Adam Twigg and his wife Meagan run the other North Bay store.

And Brad Twigg is heavily involved with Twiggs’ soon-to-be distribution centre in North Bay. He’s also working on the fifth Twiggs franchise, which is expected to open at Canadore College in North Bay this coming January.

Twigg’s husband Doug is also heavily involved with the business.

“He does everything,” she said. “He’s our rock. He does a lot of the product purchasing.”

Twiggs first won a NOBA in 2008 when it was the recipient of the First Nations Business Award of Excellence.

Two years later, Laura Twigg was presented with a 40 Under 40 Award, recognizing leaders under the age of 40 in the North Bay and Nipissing area.

The moniker Twiggs Coffee Roasters, however, is misleading because the business is much more than just about coffee. Its stores also have a large menu, including various soups and salads, gourmet deli and fresh-baked goods; and offers catering, a catalog of gift baskets, and wholesale.

In addition to the Canadore College franchise expected to open in early 2020, the Twiggs are also eyeing further expansion.

“We’re searching for locations in Parry Sound and Barrie,” Twigg said.

And perhaps one day the business will expand outside of Ontario’s boundaries.

“The thought of that is just a lot of work,” Twigg said. “My kids though definitely want to expand.”

Twigg herself is focussed on growing Twiggs Coffee Roasters via its distribution centre.

“We only roast in stores now,” she said.

That plan will soon change as the Twiggs distribution centre will allow the company to start selling its coffee at various grocery stores.

“We’re looking at getting some shelf space in grocery stores, mostly in Ontario,” Twigg said.

But seeing Twiggs products across the country is also a goal.

“I’m thinking big,” Twigg said.

Some might be surprised just how successful Twiggs Coffee Roasters has become. The business had its share of struggles early on.

“The first seven or eight years were the leanest years,” Twigg said. “In year eight we saw a turn. Northern Ontario was starting to learn more about organics. And all of a sudden Twiggs became trendy.”

Twigg added there was never any talk of quitting.

“I never thought of giving it up,” she said. “We just kept going. It was a family business and we just kept plugging along.”

Twigg believes there are a couple of main reasons why the business has become hugely successful.

“I think we’ve stuck to our values from when we began,” she said, adding Twiggs continues to serve fresh and healthy foods. “And our prices are very competitive with the bigger chains.”