Specialty coffee is built around people, global cultures and the relationships built over years of working together. This, along with the terroir of the farms form a crucial part of any coffee. We believe that our coffees and the stories behind it have something to offer you. We look forward to sharing our passion for great coffee with you.
OUR APPROACH
Sustainability
Our mission is to revolutionise the coffee industry into an example of sustainability. This goes beyond making our company 100% sustainable. Coffee is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, and this makes the amount of people working in the industry second to none. To say this industry is massive is an understatement, and the amount of money moved in the international markets due to coffee is in the top four. This is why we need your help to create a sustainable coffee industry that sets an example for others. Join us in this goal!
We’ve been roasting specialty coffee since 2007, working with people that work tirelessly to produce exceptional coffee. We believe in building long-lasting relationships with these farmers, ensuring that they receive fair, sustainable prices for their work and have an ability to continue producing game changing coffee.
WE ARE PART OF THE
Circular Coffee Scotland
100% of the spent coffee produced in our coffee shops is given to local farmers for composting to grow vegs that will end up consumed by, sometimes, the same people that drank the coffee in our shops. A wonderful example of sustainable circular economy.
We strongly believe in the benefits of setting up business models that follow circular economy principles. Our current lineal model produces too much waste, and the producers of goods are not taking the responsibility to deal with it.
A truly circular model requires collaboration between industries and consumers. To make this happen, we have been a driving force in the creation of Circular Coffee Scotland (www.circularcoffee.org), a community of producers and consumers working together to make Scotland the first Circular Coffee country in the world.
Our Bags
Our bags are made of recyclable materials that keeps our specialty coffee fresh longer. All our bags have a #4 symbol printed on them to show they are fully recyclable wherever you live. You can even recycle the little cut line at the top of the bag too! The #4 logo means the easiest place to recycle your used Artisan Roast bags and tabs is to pop them in the carrier bag recycling bin at larger supermarkets. Alternatively, you are welcome to bring them to any of our cafes, and we will take care of the recycling for you.
JOIN US
Up-cycling Spent Coffee Waste
It has been estimated that more than 500,000 tons of spent coffee are produced every year in the UK. Every ton of spent coffee not processed properly will produce 1.7 tons of CO2. Spent coffee is an incredibly rich substance that still has lots of potential to be uncovered.
100% of the spent coffee generated in our coffee shops is upcycled into other products with commercial value. Most of it goes directly to local farmers for composting. The rest is used by local entrepreneurs to create a number of products: candles, coasters, hand scrub and dog soap. We dry some and give it to local customers to be used as fertiliser for their plants. We also supply a local mushroom farm.
Packaging
Reducing packaging while maintaining design and quality is no easy task. That’s why our wholesale customers in Edinburgh receive their coffee in reusable containers, which we collect and refill with each delivery. In our shops, we offer popular blends in bulk, allowing customers to bring their own containers for a waste-free purchase. Even our special boxes are made from traceable, sustainable materials, ensuring that every part of our packaging is designed with the environment in mind. We’re always looking for new ways to minimise waste while keeping things beautiful and functional.
operations
Roastery
We efficiently deal with the two main by-products from our roasting operation: coffee sacks and chaff. The sacks are given to a local company that uses them to make building insulation and the chaff is used for mushroom growing in a local farm.
Research & Development
Coffee is a very rich substance, full of components that, if extracted properly, can be used in many ways for commercial and home purposes. Over the last 6 years, we have actively participated in several projects, collaborating with some of the best universities in Scotland and Chile, including Strathclyde, St Andrews, Edinburgh and Chile University.
We have also worked with Zero Waste Scotland and IBioiC. Currently, we are involved in two exciting projects: one with the University of Chile to produce 100% organic biomaterials using spent coffee and the second exploring the best use of spent coffee for mushroom farms.