Twigg’s expansion is a family affair

NORTH BAY, Ont. — As Twigg’s Coffee Roasters began to expand its presence throughout Northern Ontario, founder Jennifer Twigg didn’t have to look far for help with tackling new growth. 

With three locations in North Bay, and another in Sturgeon Falls, Ont., Twigg’s daughters-in-law help manage the business.

Now, Twigg’s is building a new location in Sudbury, which once again will see family involvement.

“It’s going to be an intense endeavor with everybody’s hands in,” Twigg said. 

To construct the new location, Twigg turned to her sons, who work as electricians in North Bay. 

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“They’re putting their business on the shelf for a little bit while they build in Sudbury,” she said. 

The Sudbury store will open this spring in a new retail development on Kingsway Boulevard.

“We found a location we couldn’t say ‘no’ to,” Twigg said. “We’re in close proximity, and the population had a lot of interest. It’s been in our plans for years to actually expand.”

While Twigg’s existing locations seat about 100 guests, the Sudbury store will be slightly larger with about 130 seats in 2,800 square feet. Like its flagship location in downtown North Bay, Twigg’s will continue roasting its own coffee beans. 

“It will be the exact same,” Twigg noted. 

While living in British Columbia in the early ’90s, Twigg was inspired by the burgeoning West Coast coffee industry. 

“We thought it was something we could do and bring to North Bay,” said Twigg, who is originally from Northern Ontario. 

The first Twigg’s Coffee Roasters opened in downtown North Bay in 1995. 

“We brought organic, Fair Trade, onsite coffee roasting here. We had to work at gaining customers and educating them to get where we are, but we did it,” Twigg said.  

Alongside its coffee, a staple at Twigg’s is its Montreal smoked meat on a bagel with house mustard. 

The meat is imported from its namesake city, while the Montreal-style bagels are brought in from Ottawa. 

“We have our core menu we’ve never swayed from,” Twigg said. “We’ve added to it, but never really changed our core menu.”

Those menu additions were introduced to expand its offering across all dayparts. 

“We have a full breakfast menu. It’s all healthy, like fresh fruit, quinoa and a juice bar,” Twigg said. 

The menu has also expanded to include tapas, flatbreads, as well as beer and wine. Before pursuing a Sudbury location, Twigg’s flagship store was expanded to accommodate a larger kitchen. 

“We’ve kind of gone into the dinner and after dinner late meals,” Twigg said. “We begin at 6 a.m. and offer things right until close.”

After the Sudbury location opens, Twigg plans to find a second location in the city, before scouting Simcoe County for future expansion. 

“It’s always scary going into that unknown, but it’s really exciting,” Twigg said. “Hopefully Sudbury likes Twigg’s.”