At a glance
- Roasts inLolo, MT
- Founded1991
- CafesMissoula and Arvada, CO
- VisitorsOpen to the public
Hunter Bay Coffee is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Montana: an independent roaster based in Lolo, founded in 1991. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters started in Missoula in 1991 and describes itself as a small crew that spends its days sourcing, roasting and blending specialty coffee. It buys direct trade and certified organic coffees, aims for high ecological and social standards, and tries to cut excess packaging where it can. Its roasting plant sits a few miles outside Missoula where the Bitterroot Valley begins, and has run there for more than a decade. The newest roaster there is an Italian STA Impianti machine that the company says made it more efficient and sustainable.
The company follows Specialty Coffee Association standards for sourcing, roasting and brewing, and says it is building a second, larger roasting facility in Colorado. Its Toole Ave Cafe on Missoula's Northside gets fresh coffee from the Lolo roastery three times a week and serves locally sourced food. Its master roasters roast wholesale orders after they are placed, in small batches using slow European style roasting, and the company is a certified organic roaster.
It buys high grade green coffee from small independent farms, with leaders traveling to origin, and supplies restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, offices, hotels and grocers in four states.
What they roast
House blends include Big Sky Organic, Montana Premium, Back Country, Bernice's Blend, Smoke Jumper, Praying Monk, Moose Drool, Colorado Organic, Summer Honey and Expedition. Single origins on the list when we checked: Costa Rica Santa Maria de Dota, Ethiopia Sidamo, Guatemala Huehuetenango and Uganda Sipi Falls. Montanaro Espresso. Harmony Decaf; method not stated. Also a Half-Calf blend. Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-27.
Where to drink it
- The Toole Ave Cafe: 812 Toole Ave, Suite D, Missoula
- Arvada coffee bar: 5600 Olde Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, CO
Address
The roastery's street address is not published; the roastery is outside Missoula at the mouth of the Bitterroot Valley (Lolo); only a PO Box is published for it. The public cafe is the Toole Ave Cafe on Missoula's Northside; there is also a coffee bar in Arvada, Colorado.
Why buying from Hunter Bay Coffee matters here
Roasts in Lolo, at the entrance to the Bitterroot Valley, and delivers to its Missoula cafe three times a week. The Toole Ave Cafe on Missoula's Northside serves locally sourced food and offers catering.
Every bag bought from a Lolo roaster pays roasting and cafe wages in Montana, and the coffee reaches you days after roasting instead of months. That is the reason the club exists. Why local roasters matter.
About this listing
Listed as a local favorite. A listing does not mean Hunter Bay Coffee is part of the club.
Are you Hunter Bay Coffee? Email roasters@lastbestcoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Montana roasters
- Revel Coffee, Billings
- Yellowstone Coffee Roasters, Bozeman
- Philipsburg Coffee Roasters, Philipsburg