The Best Welsh Coffee Roasters
- The Local Coffee Club
- Feb 2, 2023
- 12 min read
Updated: Aug 18, 2024
The beans have officially been spilled: we've teamed up with twenty of the best Welsh coffee roasters around to bring The Local Coffee Club to Wales! That's right - this proud country renowned for its vibrant cities, picturesque countryside and rugged coastline has added another string to its bow: a means to discover some of the best coffee roasters in Wales! Read on to find out a bit more about them...
Coaltown Coffee | https://www.coaltowncoffee.co.uk
The first roaster featured in our Wales coffee subscription is Coaltown coffee. Coaltown are based in the former coal mining town of Ammanford, South Wales. Once famed for its heavy industry and extraction of anthracite coal (“black gold”), the town fell into decline when the last of its collieries closed in the early 2000s. Coaltown founder Scott James took inspiration from his town’s industrial heritage and decided to bring a new form of black gold to the area – coffee! Their fresh, ethically sourced beans impressed and they now supply a range of shops and cafes in Wales and beyond. In 2019, Coaltown became the first B corp certified coffee roaster in Wales, demonstrating their commitment to high social and environmental standards. They’re good eggs and they roast delicious coffee (be sure to check out their roastery if you're ever in Ammanford - they have a great set up and it's well worth a visit.) They're one of the best Welsh coffee roasters around and we’re delighted to be able to include them in our Wales coffee subscription. Their black gold will not disappoint!
Locations: Ammanford (roastery) | Pontarddulais (espresso bar)
Hard Lines Coffee | https://hard-lines.co.uk
Hard Lines is a small batch Welsh coffee roaster based in Cardiff. Their focus is on selecting, roasting and serving great coffee that’s been sourced sustainably – and they deliver! They have three locations around the city including a roastery, café and espresso hatch (be sure to try their cookies!) We've visited the cafe and can highly recommend it if you're after some breakfast. Hard Lines are a sociable bunch who are keen to engage with the local community (you can check out their Thursday running club in Canton if that’s your thing) We love their vibrant, playful take on the world of coffee and look forward to working with them to send subscribers some of the best coffee beans in Cardiff!
Locations: Gwaelod y Garth (roastery) | Canton (cafe) | Central Market (espresso hatch)
96 Degrees Coffee | https://www.96degreescoffee.co.uk
96 Degrees is the brainchild of lifelong friends (and coffee fanatics!) John and Lee. The pair opened the doors to their Cowbridge coffee shop in 2019 with the aim of providing a space for people to relax while enjoying delicious speciality coffee and cake. The shop has been a welcome addition to the local community and features a range of small interventions designed to promote a calming atmosphere (e.g. limiting Wi-Fi use and not having plug sockets next to tables) …The ‘office’ feel can get a bit annoying so 96 Degrees wanted to create a comforting shop where people can catch up and create memories over great coffee. They have their own micro roaster and have developed a range of delicious, bespoke coffees to try at home. We can’t wait to send them out to subscribers!
Locations: Cowbridge (cafe and roastery)
Crafty Smuggler Coffee | https://craftysmugglercoffee.co.uk
One of our favourite coffee roasters in Wales, Crafty Smuggler is a small, Swansea based outfit that aims to put a bit of maritime mayhem into every roast. Inspired by William Hawkin Arthur - ‘The Smuggling King’ - they like to think of their Welsh coffee beans as ‘Black Gold’; the illicit cargo of the rugged Gower coastline. They’ve been in the business since 2019 and offer a variety of high-quality beans, including their signature blend and several delicious Single Origins (thankfully, all imported legally!) We can’t wait to send you beans from this brilliant Wales coffee roaster!
Locations: Swansea (cafe and roastery)
Uncommon Ground | https://uncommon-ground.co.uk
Uncommon Ground is an independent Cardiff coffee roaster run by local brothers Paul and Ian Hayman. They’re passionate about coffee and have been slinging speciality shots to Cardiff natives from their bar in the Royal Arcade since 2015. All of their Cardiff coffee beans are roasted with care from a separate facility just outside the city centre. Here, Uncommon Ground pride themselves on affording the roasting process a tremendous amount of respect (e.g. using roasting intelligence software, employing strict quality control measures, etc.) This ensures the delicate flavour profiles of their 100% Arabica beans are extracted optimally every single time, meaning we get to enjoy consistently great tasting coffee! Win-win!
Locations: Cardiff (cafe)
Alfie's Coffee Co. | https://alfiescoffeeco.co.uk
Alfie’s Coffee Company is a Wales coffee roaster based in Carmarthenshire. Founder Paul Cammack initially started the business in 2019 as Alfie’s Coffee Bus; a mobile coffee van that travelled around serving commercial offices in South Wales. However, the onset of the pandemic prompted a rethink, leading Paul to launch the Coffee Company. He hasn’t looked back since. Alfie’s Wales coffee beans are roasted in small batches to bring out delicate flavour profiles and have been well received by critics, with a recent gold star at the Great Taste Awards highlighting them as one of the best Wales coffee roasters around. One to particularly look forward to in the subscription!
Locations: Llanelli (roastery)
Rhostio Coffee | https://www.rhostio.co.uk
In June 2021, Wales coffee roaster Rhostio opened its doors to the citizens of Cardiff. Their stylish venue on Crwys Road is one of our favourites as it boasts great coffee (obviously!) and food, and also lays claim to a rooftop terrace with spectacular views of the city. The venue doubles as an event space at night (think live music, comedy nights, cocktails, bar snacks, etc). Rhostio is well worth a visit if you are in the neighbourhood, as it roasts its specialty coffee beans and offers more than ten single origins. One of the best Welsh coffee roasters, we are pleased to include their Cardiff coffee beans in our Wales subscription!
Locations: Cardiff (cafe)
Big Dog Coffee | https://bigdogcoffeeco.com
Big Dog Coffee is run by talented trio Huw, Hannah and Clyde (a black Labrador that oversees operations). Based in a former steelworks in the old industrial town of Ebbw Vale, this Wales Coffee roaster is proudly independent. One of our favourite coffee roasters in Wales, they produce delicious beans with care and compassion and want their local community to thrive. In fact, environmental, social and financial sustainability are at the heart of everything Big Dog do (e.g. they source local products wherever possible, only work with Rainforest Alliance and UTZ certified importers, have cut down on plastic use, etc!). Their primary mission is to provide speciality coffee for everyday people… they’re accomplishing it! We recently visited their Blackwood cafe and were seriously impressed (the doodle art on the walls is worth a visit in itself) Good eggs, great coffee – we can’t wait for you to try Big Dog's beans!
Locations: Blackwood (cafe)
Kontext Coffee | https://www.kontextcoffee.com
Kontext Coffee is the brainchild of Katja Klein who, having spent countless hours reading, brewing, extracting, tasting, competing and roasting, really knows her stuff! As you might expect, Katja is passionate about coffee and strives to produce fantastic speciality beans in a transparent, sustainable way. With a roastery situated in the picturesque hills of the Wye Valley, Kontext’s coffee beans are produced in small batches using a Probatone P12. They open their doors to the public with a pop-up café every Tuesday and Thursday – go check it out if you’re ever in the area!
Locations: Wye Valley (roastery and cafe)
Two Dogs Coffee | https://www.twodogscoffeecompany.com
Two Dogs Coffee Roasting Company is a small batch Wales coffee roaster run by John and Sian Bowen. Having been on the lookout for a creative project to take them into retirement, the Bowens explored a number of options before eventually deciding on coffee roasting (we’re glad they did!) They started out with a small roaster in the garage but quickly outgrew it as demand surged. Fast forward a few years and you’ll find Two Dogs Coffee operating out of Two Dogs Coffee & Tea Emporium at 104 The Struet, Brecon in Powys where you can watch the coffee being roasted and purchase coffee & accessories. They’re now adept coffee roasters and consistently produce fantastic coffee beans. Central to their mission is sustainability: a partnership with ‘One Tree Planted’ ensures the sale of their Brazilian coffees contributes to reforestation in Brazil, improving the prospects of endangered species and the livelihoods of thousands of families.
Locations: Brecon (roastery and cafe)
Scout Coffee | https://www.facebook.com/ScoutCoffeeRoasters/
Founded by friends Ant, Matt and Scott in 2021, Scout are one of the newer coffee roasters in Wales. Based just outside the city centre in Newport, their mission is simple (“Good Deeds, Great Coffee”) and they’re constantly on the lookout for ways to accomplish it. Examples of their philanthropy include partnerships with a local care charity (St. David’s Hospice Care) and various carbon offset projects (e.g. Ecologi). Supporting these kinds of initiatives ensures sales of their Wales coffee beans benefit vulnerable local people and help protect the environment (big green tick from us). They’re a friendly, compassionate bunch and their coffee isn’t half bad either! Scout are a Welsh coffee roaster we’re proud to be working with and look forward to featuring in our Wales coffee subscription.
Locations: Newport (roastery)
The Gourmet Pig | http://www.gourmetpig.co.uk
The latest Wales coffee roaster to join our Wales coffee subscription is the Gourmet Pig Coffee Co! Owner Ray and his team have been roasting coffee out of the old tin shed that sits next to their corner café / deli in Fishguard and nearby Citroen H van Food truck, Pembrokeshire for about four years now, so they know what they’re doing. Gourmet Pig have an unwavering commitment to quality and only work with organic, Fairtrade beans (big stamp of approval from us!) This ethos also extends to the other produce in their deli, with locally sourced cheese, meats and wines always favoured over second-rate alternatives. They’re a nice bunch and their coffee shop is well worth a visit if you’re ever in the area. A welcome addition to our Wales coffee subscription, we can’t to send out their award-winning Welsh coffee!
Locations: Fishguard (roastery and cafe)
Mug Run Coffee | https://www.mug-run.com/
Mug Run Coffee started life back in December 2013 and came from founder Tim Parry’s passion for beans and a great tasting brew. Based in the North Wales seaside town of Rhyl, Mug Run is family owned and managed by Tim, Aisha and Meryl. All coffees are specialty grade, fully traceable and ethically sourced from independent farmers from across all coffee-growing continents – they are committed to ensuring people are treated fairly from plant to cup. The beans are then expertly hand-roasted on their preloved roaster called ‘Norma’ and bagged in compostable and degradable packaging for you to enjoy. They’re a lovely bunch with some great values and we’re delighted to be able to include them in our Wales coffee subscription.
Locations: Rhyl (roastery)
Poblado Coffi | https://pobladocoffi.co.uk/
The idea to set up Wales coffee roaster Poblado first popped into founder Steffan’s head way back in 2003. He was living in the neighbourhood of El Poblado in Medellin, Colombia, and had started to spend some time at a local coffee farm. Steffan began to learn about everything that goes into the drink and soon went on a voyage of discovery into the world of coffee that hasn’t really stopped since! Further years of travel followed before he decided to settle down and set up shop in Eryri in beautiful North Wales. Coffee was initially roasted in the ‘cwt coffi’ at the end of his garden but after demand surged the team made the decision to move to a larger facility in the old Quarryman’s barracks in Nantlle, Snowdonia. Poblado have gone from strength to strength and now roast a range of ethically sourced speciality beans from this stunning location. Coffee lovers are encouraged to to visit to find out more about how Poblado’s brilliant Wales coffee beans make their way from seed to cup. We can’t wait for you to try them!
Locations: Nantlle (roastery and cafe)
Black Mountain Roast | https://blackmountainroast.com/
Black Mountain Roast are a small coffee company founded in the foothills of the Black Mountains in Wales. They’ve been in the roasting game for 10 years now and have amassed a collection of stunning coffees with a host of Great Taste Awards. They operate out of a converted stone barn and combine cutting edge roasting technology with good old-fashioned skill to produce fantastic coffee that’s a world away from the stale and burnt beans sold in supermarkets. Black Mountain always roast their ethically sourced coffee beans in small batches to ensure freshness – one to look forward to!
Locations: Black Mountains (roastery)
Wrexham Bean | https://wrexhambean.com
Wrexham Bean’s coffee journey began on Christmas Day in 2021. Founders James and Rich were chatting about their love of coffee over a few festive cocktails and noticed there was a fairly major gap in Wrexham’s fast-growing coffee culture: the town didn’t have a coffee roastery! So, an idea was born… Taking inspiration from their Italian heritage, the pair sought to create a roastery that focussed on rich, flavourful, traditional coffee - it needed to be more than just a drink. The blueprint worked and Wrexham Bean have really taken off over the last couple of years. Traceable, responsibly sourced coffee beans are bagged up in recyclable packaging and sent out to a host of coffee drinkers in Wales and beyond. We love the imagery used by Wrexham Bean and look forward to featuring some of their brilliant Wales coffee beans in our Wales coffee subscription.
Locations: Wrexham (roastery)
Bay Coffee Roasters | https://www.baycoffeeroasters.com/
Bay Coffee Roasters hail from Cardigan in West Wales. A short walk from the beach, they use their stunning coastal surroundings as a source of inspiration to produce Welsh roasted coffee that brings the senses alive. It seems to work! They were Roast Master Semi finalists in 2024 in Paris and they have won numerous Great Taste awards including the top accolade of the Golden Fork in 2022. Sustainability is hugely important to Bay Coffee Roasters and they’ve made a real effort to transition to environmentally friendly production methods. For example, rather than using fossil fuels, all of their roasting is carried out using electricity sourced from a 100% traceable renewable energy supplier. They source beans through various methods including direct from farms, Fairtrade and Organic Certified, each season brings something new and exciting.
Locations: Cardigan (roastery)
Welsh Coffee Roasters | https://welshcoffee.com/
The Welsh Coffee Company was founded by Huw Williams in 2011. Inspired by the “new wave” coffee roasters that were becoming more prominent in places like Scandinavia and Australia, Huw saw a gap in the UK market for lighter roasted coffee that was better in quality and taste. His hunch was right - since its launch the Welsh Coffee Company has gone from strength to strength and the team now roast delicious Wales coffee beans from their base in Ewenny in the Vale of Glamorgan. Their determination to only source high quality green beans and to roast according to their own unique profiles has also paid dividends, with the company winning three Great Taste awards and achieving Great Taste Producer status. Despite their successes, the Welsh Coffee Company remain grounded. They’re always surfing and combine coffee roasting with a love of the great outdoors to maintain a relaxed and happy outlook on life. We’re pleased to be able to include them in our Wales coffee subscription and look forward to sending out some of their fantastic beans!
Locations: Ewenny (roastery) and Ogmore (coffee shop)
Coffi Dre | https://coffidre.cymru/
Ceurwyn and Haydn started Coffi Dre back in Autumn 2021. The team were initially interested in buying a cafe space in their hometown of Caernarfon, but discouraged by high rents they decided to buy a horsebox to convert into a mobile coffee trailer instead. Whilst converting the trailer they attended Christmas markets and, encouraged by the great feedback from their customers, were spurred on to take the business to the next level. More markets followed (~50 days worth!), awards were won and lots of coffee was consumed as Coffi Dre established themselves as one of the best coffee roasters in Wales. Working out of their HQ in Caernarfon, the team’s goal is to celebrate the Welsh culture, language and people through amazing coffee. We think they’re a fantastic fit for our Wales coffee subscription and we can’t wait to send out some of their delicious Welsh coffee beans!
Locations: Caernarfon (roastery) and surrounding area (mobile coffee trailer!)
Rate Of Rise | https://www.rateofrisecoffee.co.uk/
Welsh coffee roaster Rate Of Rise are based in the centre of Abergavenny on the doorstep of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. They started life in early 2024 with the goal of roasting amazing coffee while also standing up for nature and the environment. A recent visit to their cafe/roastery confirmed their coffee is amazing while evidence of their environmental focus can be seen in a variety of ways. For example, they've committed to only partnering with farmers with the best environmental practices (e.g. those that plant shade grown coffee amongst - rather than in place of - native trees) and they've also thrown their weight behind fantastic charities such as Stump Up For Trees who help enhance biodiversity within the local landscape (they donate 25p from the sale of each bag) They've also joined forces with Trash Free Trails in order to hold trail cleans and help remove unwanted rubbish from the outdoors. We're big fans of Rate Of Rise - they're good eggs with great values and we're delighted to be able to feature their Wales coffee beans in our subscription.
Locations: Abergavenny (roastery/cafe)
So there you have it: twenty of the best Welsh coffee roasters around all available to try in one convenient monthly subscription! Whether you want to try Cardiff coffee beans, Swansea coffee beans, Newport coffee beans... you get it, we've got you.
PSST! New here? This might help...
- How does the subscription work? Each month, we send subscribers a bag of coffee beans (250g/500g/1kg) roasted by a different Wales coffee roaster. We rotate between the best coffee roasters in Wales to make sure you always get delicious single origin beans from a top quality outfit. Each delivery comes with a letter that explains a bit more about the featured roaster (their story, values etc.) and the origin of the coffee
- What makes you different to any other coffee subscription? We're unique in that we're the only local coffee subscription. We help coffee drinkers shop local and discover beans from different roasters near them. Forget Holby, Emmerdale and Walford - these beans were roasted by real people in real places near you. We also plant trees! It's important so the bigger we get, the more we'll plant. Simple as.
- Why did you start it? We wanted to create a unique coffee club that showcases local roasters and gives coffee drinkers a convenient platform to discover delicious coffee beans roasted near them. Find out more here
- I'm a coffee roaster in Wales - how do I get involved? We're always on the lookout for new Wales coffee roasters to help expand our subscription. Contact us here and we'll get back to you asap!
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