8 Friday, July 20, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com Sly and Sons Coffee Roasters Mark Sylvester and Rony Mikhael info@slyandsons.com www.slyandsons.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slyandsonscoffee Motto: "Life's too short to drink bad coffee." Did you know that as soon as a coffee bean is roasted, its tasty life declines? This explains why coffee places have to add preservatives, according to Mark Sylvester (in photo on left). His new venture, which began only two months ago, imports coffee beans then roasts them for you to take home, grind, and pour. He says some customers have told him the coffee is so fresh and good that they've stopped adding things to it like milk or sugar. "Our niche," he calls it. They sell Colombian and Ethiopian beans bought from suppliers. In fact, his Colombian connection lives in Whitby and comes from a fifth generation family-owned coffee farm with an export licence. "The coffee bean itself is the seed of a fruit, the coffee cherry," describes the coffee connoisseur. "Once you open the fruit, the lifespan is about two to three weeks." He and his partner import the beans and prepare them for the consumer, offering delivery subscriptions from the web site. They roast on Tuesdays and Thursdays and deliver on Wednesdays and Fridays. Their instagram account provides quick updates on special deals and new roasts. Whitby Soap Co. Cathi Westrop www.whitbysoapco.com info@thewhitbysoapco.com 905-442-7121 Cathi Westrop parlayed a quarter century career in the cosmetic industry into a successful business selling soaps, bath salts and the like. It began simply enough when she was making soaps for family members. But darn if people kept asking for more. She acquiesced by expanding the inventory, running the business from her home and selling in several retail stores as well, two in Toronto and eight in Durham. It's not quite a full time occupation yet as she's maintained her role as manager of Brooklin's Humphrey's Boutique two days each week. However, she finds time to make the soaps herself, using olive, palm, and coconut oils - never animal fats - and with Health Canada approved ingredients. She's taught her husband to help out because of the number of orders. The result is that their basement, living room, dining room and office are now soap warehouses. Little known factoid: She grew up in a small village outside a seaside town in Yorkshire, England. The town's name? Whitby. Hence the company name.