Transcend Coffee was founded in Edmonton, Canada, in 2006 by Poul Mark. Early training and tasting led Mark to visit producers in Panama in 2008, followed by work as a Cup of Excellence judge in El Salvador in 2009. Those experiences helped move the business towards closer relationships with the people growing its coffee.

The roastery’s sourcing places particular value on returning to producers over time, including relationships with micro-mills in Costa Rica. Producer stories and coffee education are part of explaining how farming and processing decisions appear in the cup.

Transcend is associated with lighter roasting that expresses origin, but its range also includes a deliberately darker blend introduced in 2020. That distinction matters: its approach is not confined to one roast preference. The defining thread is an interest in the raw ingredient, informed by years of tasting, travel and work with growers.