Dan Hilton is very focused when it comes to perfecting the perfect cinnamon bun. “I’ve spent 25 years constantly trying to make them better and better," he explains. Cinnamon buns are the signature treat at Dan's beloved Point Grey café, Grounds for Coffee. And while the labour-intensive baked goods drive some businesses to automate the process, Dan and his staff continue to make all their buns by hand. The kitchen houses a mixer the size of smart car, and makes thousands of pounds of dough every single day. “It’s a clean product, using simple clean ingredients.” Dan says. “If I won’t eat it or serve it to my family, it’s not good enough for my customers.”
Dan first opened Grounds for Coffee in a tiny storefront on Alma Street in May 1993. He expanded the space in 2003, and the Vancouver café continues to thrive. In the early days, Dan concentrated on his signature sweet treats. He ordered ovens, proofers, mixers, cinnamon and a lot of flour. The only catch: he didn’t actually know how to make cinnamon buns. “This became a valuable lesson,” he explains. “I started my learning curve by making bread; I was up at 4:00 am, and working until midnight.” After he mastered the art of bread-making, he moved on to cinnamon buns.
Even all these years later, Dan continues to refine his product, seeing how he can make it healthier by further reducing the sugar and fat content. “We don’t use any hydrogenated fat and our buns have one third of the fat content of major competitors,” he says. “We never stop making tweaks."
