Mile Zero Decaf

About the Coffee

Mile Zero uses the Swiss Water Process, a chemical-free decaffeination method developed in Switzerland and now run out of British Columbia. Green coffee is soaked in a flavour-saturated solution called Green Coffee Extract, which pulls out caffeine molecules while leaving flavour compounds intact. The process removes 99.9% of caffeine without touching the beans with solvents like methylene chloride or ethyl acetate.

Fernwood selects Peruvian coffees specifically for this decaf, choosing beans that bring natural sweetness and balance to the cup. Peru's high-altitude growing regions produce coffees with clean profiles and enough body to hold up through decaffeination. The result is a medium roast built for consistency, designed to work as an everyday decaf that tastes complete whether you're brewing it at 6 AM or 9 PM.

The Swiss Water facility tests every batch to verify caffeine removal and flavour retention. It's a slower, more expensive process than chemical decaffeination, but it keeps the coffee clean and the flavour intact. For people who want decaf without compromise, it's the standard that matters.

About Fernwood

Ben and Terra started Fernwood in 2006 after leaving high-end restaurant work in their early thirties. They'd spent years in fast-paced kitchens with sharp knives and late nights, but when their son turned one, they bought a café with a roaster in the back and built a different kind of life. They brought the precision of restaurant work but kept the approach grounded, like neighbours rather than chefs.

In 2006, putting café-quality coffee on grocery shelves wasn't common in the Pacific Northwest. Ben and Terra did it anyway, roasting in one-pound batches with daily quality control and no warehouse shortcuts. They grew shelf by shelf, from local butcher shops to national grocers, from independent cafés to online subscriptions. The day their daughter Keiko was born, their first custom-printed bags arrived, quietly marking the start of something bigger.

Fernwood still roasts in Victoria, keeping the process close and relationships closer. They supply cafés, grocery stores, and people at home who want coffee that works on trailheads, road trips, or quiet mornings at the kitchen table. The approach hasn't changed: roast well, stay grounded, and make coffee that feels like home.

"Fernwood is a roaster you'll see all over Reddit as being one of BC's best. I asked to try their coffee, and now I get what all the hype is about. I bought a few extra bags of Manos al Grano for my stash at home."

- Dean, Director of Coffee