ABOUT US
RECEIVER COFFEE — since 2014
Just a small town roastery
Founded by lifelong best friends, Chris Francis and Sean Bruinooge, who shared a love of coffee and great food, the seeds for Receiver were planted inside a tiny take‑out café and pizza shop called Row 142 on Victoria Row in Charlottetown.
At Row 142, Chris and Sean roasted on a 6‑lb San Franciscan roaster and slung pastries and pies to anyone who would squeeze through the door. The feedback was loud and clear: “Seats and breakfast, please!”
When a space opened just up the street, they jumped. Chris and Sean put the San Franciscan roaster on a skateboard, rolled it 39 steps southwest, and Receiver Coffee Company was born.
As Receiver’s potential became clear, Colleen teamed up with the boys to execute the combined vision they had for delivering high-quality coffee, food and experiences to the Island. Together, they added Breadworks, the Brass Shop, Milky Way, and Cavendish locations.
What started as a small, scrappy idea quickly grew into a community hub built on hospitality, great coffee and food and the relationships that form around them.
Since 2014: From then until now
Victoria Row
Receiver Coffee Company opens on June 21st at 128 Richmond St, aka Victoria Row.
The Brass Shop
Receiver Coffee acquires John Dale's Breadworks and incorporates it into The Brass Shop, which opens on June 30th.
Milky Way
Receiver expands outside of the downtown core, building our current HQ, adding a new café, production roastery and bakery on November 19th.
Cavendish
Seasonal location opens its doors on the Cavendish Boardwalk, offering coffee, pastries and sandwiches.
Cavendish Grows
Receiver finds a new home in the Cavendish Boardwalk expansion, bringing fresh bread and pastries and our brunch menu to the area.
Great coffee. Good people. Proudly PEI.
The name Receiver has roots in Chris' family history. His father Paul spent his career at Island Telephone Company - a man who approached everything with curiosity, depth and genuine enthusiasm for learning.
When it came time to name the company, Chris looked to those values. His love of coffee grew from the excitement of the process itself, and every cup poured, batch roasted and piece of equipment repaired, kept that connection to his father strong. Receiver became a tribute to that relationship, and a reminder to the whole team to be thoughtful, find joy in the work and stay inspired by the ongoing process of learning and growing.
Creating community around exceptional coffee and food - where transparency, sustainability, and genuine hospitality connect people.
Receiver Coffee is a community-focused café and roastery on Prince Edward Island. We’re guided by three words — quality, hospitality and consistency— in everything we roast, bake, and serve.
TEAM RECEIVER
Meet the good people behind the great coffeeReceiver Coffee Company is made up of a community of people who share a passion and commitment to delivering great experiences to those around them.
We are proud to have a team that carries the brand's mission and vision to our guests every day. We're deeply grateful for their commitment, their craft and the heart they put into everything they do.
From the first cup on Victoria Row to everything that's come since, none of it happens without the people behind the counter, in the roastery, and in the kitchen. This is their work as much as it is ours.
Sean Bruinooge is a co-founder of Receiver Coffee, known for being an optimist and a jokester. He is someone who can usually find the positive—or at least a joke—in just about any situation. With an extensive background in culinary arts he has been a backbone of Receiver menus since day one. Now his time is split between the kitchens, the roastery, driving a Uhaul around, opening and closing seasonal locations, and lending a helping hand with whatever piece of equipment decided to break that week.
He brings a mix of high standards and lighthearted energy to his work. Sean believes the best work comes from people who actually enjoy what they’re doing, and he’s built his approach around creating environments that are social, supportive, and—importantly—fun.
Sean cares deeply about doing things well, without taking any of it too seriously. That said, the bar is high—quality and service matter, and he expects both, even if there’s a joke happening at the same time.
Favourite Receiver memory:
“About one week after opening Receiver Vic Row in June 2014, seeing our first lineup out the door was unforgettable. At just 24 years old, it was equal parts inspiring, terrifying, and reassuring to realize that maybe this dream we had wasn’t a terrible mistake after all!”
Colleen officially joined Receiver Coffee in August of 2015 and quickly became Receiver's resident chaos-tamer. With a background in hospitality that goes back to her first serving job at 18, she has always loved the industry and its craft, as well as the way it brings people together and makes a place feel like a place worth being.
These days, she's less likely to be found in the shops and more likely to be behind the scenes, working with the managers and teams to keep everything running: building systems, solving problems, and making sure the people who make Receiver what it is have what they need to do their best work.
If you hear someone laughing, troubleshooting and emotionally processing all at once, it’s probably her.
Favourite Receiver memory:
“There are so many moments I am proud of, or love to laugh over, but one of my favourites was running Receiver Local during covid. It allowed us to continue fostering a sense of community during an isolating time, and it was wonderful to connect with customers who were so thankful for the service and the human interaction - from a distance! We smiled, laughed and cried. It was an amazing human experience.”
Chris is a co‑founder of Receiver Coffee and the driving force behind our coffee program. His passion for coffee runs deep, and he’s spent years shaping Receiver’s approach to sourcing, roasting, and quality. You’ll usually find him beside the roaster, dialling in profiles, talking about green coffee, and—above all else—enjoying the process.
But for Chris, great coffee isn’t just about the roast curve or profiles. It’s about the people who make communities like Receiver what they are. He loves connecting with customers, building relationships, and being part of the community that has grown around the cafés and the roastery. Those conversations and moments shared over a cup of coffee are a huge part of what drives him.
Thoughtful and detail oriented, Chris brings a high standard to every part of the process. Whether he’s training staff, troubleshooting a roast, or refining a blend, he leads with excitement, curiosity, and a genuine respect for people.
He’s not the loudest presence in the room, but he’s a quiet jokester, and once he gets excited about something he’s hard to stop.His impact is unmistakable in the coffee, in the culture, and in the relationships that have shaped Receiver from day one.
Favourite Receiver memory:
"While it’s hard to pick just one, the day we received our San Franciscan SF-25 roaster would be up there. Disassembling the crate and putting the roaster together was very exciting (and a little terrifying). It was one of those “this is the first day of the rest of your life” moments. We often talked about how when we got a bigger roaster we would do so many things and then that moment came to be and it was time to start growing into the roastery we always wanted to be."