Old Quay coffee roaster triples output and starts exporting

A coffee roaster that started with a second-hand machine in a converted net loft on Old Quay has tripled its output in two years and shipped its first export orders. Tidewheel Coffee moved this month into a former ship's chandlery on Ropewalk Lane, where a new 60-kilogram roaster sits behind a glass wall so customers in the café can watch the beans turn.

The company now roasts around four tonnes of coffee a week, supplying 210 cafés, restaurants and offices. Co-founder Teodor Varga said the move had been forced by demand. "We were roasting through the night just to keep up, and the old loft had no room for a second machine," he said. The firm employs 23 people, up from eight before the pandemic.

Exports began in the summer, when a café group in Velde, Wrenhaven's twin town, asked for a regular supply. Orders have since followed from two importers further afield. Exports are still a small share of sales, about 9 per cent, but Mr Varga hopes that will reach a quarter within three years.

Buying direct

Tidewheel buys most of its green beans directly from eight farming cooperatives, paying above market price in return for consistent quality. Co-founder Amira Castellanos travels to two of the farms each year and says direct relationships allow the company to plan purchases a season ahead, which has cushioned it against the sharp swings in coffee prices over the past two years.

When prices jumped, we already had a deal in place. That stability is worth as much to the farmers as it is to us.

The new building has also allowed the company to open a training room, where it runs barista courses for café staff and evening tasting sessions for the public. The old net loft will stay in use as a small café for passengers waiting for the Saltings ferry. The firm says it is looking at an electric delivery van for city-centre customers next year.