Hello!

We are Heather and Jim, owners of Mugging Whales Coffee, a micro-roastery based in Winnipeg, MB. 

Our focus is to provide specialty coffee that is expertly roasted in small batches, so you can enjoy the highest quality coffee at home.

The idea for Mugging Whales Coffee began on our vacation to Maui, Hawaii in 2018. We spent some time seeking out little coffee shops and fresh beans to enjoy while we took in island life. Once we tried their locally grown Maui Mokka (referred to as the “champagne of coffee”), the idea for a coffee business started brewing!

FUN FACT: our name comes from our experience being mugged by whales in Maui, Hawaii.

What is a whale mugging?

To be held hostage by a humpback whale. When a whale approaches your boat, all you can do is turn off the engine, grab a camera and enjoy the show!

One of the most amazing experiences we've ever had was a whale watching tour in Maui. Within a few minutes of leaving the harbour, we stopped to watch a humpback whale mother and her calf. Off in the distance, about four miles away, we were also watching a few more whales breaching.

As our boat got closer to the breaching whales, they disappeared. We waited patiently for them to make another appearance. It was worth the wait... one whale surfaced right beside our boat, so close that we could see all the barnacles and almost reach out to touch it! A few minutes later, two whales surfaced in front of our boat and started to swim toward us!

There is a law that boats must stay 100 yards away from the whales for their protection. If the whales decide to come closer, however, the boat engine must be turned off and you’re stuck there until the whales move away. So we were stuck... for almost two hours!

This is what’s called a “Maui mugging” or a “whale mugging.”

To top it all off, when we were finally able to engage the engine again and head for shore, we were treated to a sighting of false killer whales swimming alongside the humpback whales! This was a very rare occurrence... so rare, in fact, that most of the naturalists on board had never even seen a false killer whale before.

From the beauty of the island to this once-in-a-lifetime whale watching experience, this trip became the inspiration for Mugging Whales Coffee.