We are APEX Coffee Imports.
We are Apex Coffee Imports
Apex Coffee Imports is a team of five experienced individuals who are passionate about coffee and the people who produce it. We are fully dedicated to fostering prosperous and meaningful relationships between producers who are driven by quality and roasters who are focused on quality.
Sourcing
We source coffees with clarity, character, and consistency, so you can roast with confidence and deliver a cup that speaks for itself.
Passion
Our team lives and breathes coffee. From sourcing to support, we bring genuine care and deep industry experience to help your roasting program thrive.
Support
Partnering with Apex means your purchases support producers directly. Together, we build a more resilient and meaningful coffee supply chain.
About Apex
Apex Coffee Imports was founded by Jeff Fleming in Calgary in 2016. The company was established to provide Canadian roasters with access to high-quality speciality coffee. At the time, exclusive micro-lots from Colombia, Kenya and so on were not easily accessible to smaller Canadian roasters. Apex Coffee Imports was therefore established as a boutique importer, providing Canadian roasters with a sophisticated selection of limited-edition coffees.
In 2022, Apex Coffee Imports was acquired by Sébastien Grenache and integrated into the Origine 117 group, which comprises companies active in the specialty coffee industry. At the same time, the company expanded its operations to eastern Canada by opening an office in Montreal, and Julie Audet joined Sébastien and Jeff as a co-owner. New origins were added to the company's portfolio, and it grew rapidly from importing the equivalent of five containers in 2021 to thirty containers in 2024.
A Growth Story
Despite its growth, Apex Coffee Imports' mission to foster impactful relationships between quality-focused roasters and quality-driven producers remains stronger than ever. The company now comprises a small team of dedicated coffee professionals, including Jeff Fleming (Director of Sales and co-owner, based in Calgary), Natasha Yumasheva (Logistics Manager, also based in Calgary), Julie Audet (Director of Sourcing and co-owner, based in Montreal) and Sarah Gillain (QC and content creator, also based in Montreal).
The company imports coffee from eleven different origins, including: Bolivia, Burundi, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru.
The Team
Jeff Fleming
Founder, Sourcing and Sales
Jeff’s career in the coffee industry began in his teenage years, when he worked as a barista and roaster in his hometown. After graduating from the University of Calgary, he joined a start-up wholesale roasted coffee company that supplied cafés, restaurants, and grocery stores, helping to build the business for ten years.
Following an origin trip to Colombia in 2012, he had the idea of setting up a company to foster relationships between smallholder producers and roasters in Canada. In 2016, he launched Apex Coffee Imports to achieve this goal, and he has not looked back since.
Julie Audet
Co-owner, Sourcing and Sales
Julie’s career in the specialty coffee industry began 17 years ago in Australia, where she worked as a barista in several different cafés and roasteries. She then returned to Canada with the aim of establishing a career in this field. After working her way up from café manager to production roaster to green coffee buyer over several years, she had the opportunity to visit farms across Central and South America. There, she witnessed the impact that a career focused on green coffee could have.
When the chance to become a partner at Apex arose in 2022, she seized it, knowing her passion for making a positive impact at origin aligned perfectly with Apex's values.
Sarah Gillain
QC and Content
Sarah has lived with a pencil in her hand for as long as she can remember, sketching the world around her or the worlds blooming in her imagination. When she wasn’t drawing, she was writing, eager to share stories that could transport others to different places. When she arrived in Montreal from Belgium, she set her heart on working in a café, convinced that these spaces were filled with countless stories waiting to be told. She progressed from barista to manager, and through speciality coffee she discovered a deeper connection to the people involved in the industry.
So it was a natural step for her to join the Apex team in 2025, where she can satisfy her curiosity and share the stories behind every cup of coffee.
Natasha Yumasheva
Logistics
From an early age, Natasha was immersed in European coffee culture, and she has always been curious about the origins of coffee and the people involved in the industry. This growing passion led her to pursue a degree in Supply Chain Management and Logistics, while also helping to run one of Canada's first student-led clubs dedicated to the specialty coffee industry.
She joined Apex in 2021 and continues to be actively involved in the coffee community, serving as a sensory judge in regional and national specialty coffee competitions. Her passion for the story behind your cup of coffee remains undiminished.
