April RISE coffee box
MEET THE ROASTERS,
DISCOVER THE COFFEES,
GO BEHIND THE SCENES.
Written by Alice & Ben — co-founders of RISE Coffee Box. Ben judges at the Guild of Fine Food's Great Taste Awards, and between us we've spent years sourcing specialty coffee from growers across Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala and beyond. We built RISE because we believe great coffee should be accessible, impactful, and genuinely exciting to discover.
April is shaping up to be a big month in the coffee world — and your RISE box reflects that. From Glasgow coffee pioneers to purpose-driven roasters giving back to the planet, this month is packed with coffees you can feel genuinely good about drinking. We're also taking you behind the scenes at RISE, introducing a new team member, and sharing the best coffee festivals to add to your calendar this year.
CRAFT, COMMUNITY & DOING THINGS RIGHT
Papercup Coffee
📍 Glasgow, Scotland · Est. 2012One of Glasgow's original specialty coffee pioneers, Papercup was founded in 2012 in the city's vibrant West End on a beautifully simple idea: serve great coffee and great food — without the snobbery.
Fast forward to today and they've evolved into a full-scale roastery based inside the iconic SWG3 arts venue. What really sets them apart, though, is their commitment to sustainability — from local deliveries by electric van and bike to carefully sourced coffees. Papercup proves that doing things properly doesn't need to be loud. It just needs to be consistent.
With the Glasgow Coffee Festival taking place this month, it felt like the perfect time to put a spotlight on one of the city's finest.
Brew Crew
☕ Purpose-Driven RoastersWhen we first discovered Brew Crew, we knew they were our kind of people. Founded by students who wanted to tackle real issues in the coffee industry, they put impact front and centre — donating 10% of every sale to environmental and sustainability projects, including global reforestation initiatives and partnerships with Tree-Nation.
Sound familiar? It's exactly the ethos behind our own Friendly Coffee Fund. For us, this is what great coffee is all about — quality and impact, working hand in hand.
THIS MONTH'S COFFEES
La Concepcion
Guatemala · 1,525 MASLHoney
Process
Delicious chocolatey, caramel and sweet honey — "the smoothest espresso shot you will have." — Ben
The coffee: Trust us, your morning routine is about to get a serious upgrade. Picture a sun-drenched farm in the mountains of Guatemala, lovingly passed down through generations and now run by power couple Maris and Daniel, who are doing something seriously special at Finca La Concepcion.
At 1,525 metres above sea level, they grow rare and exciting coffee varieties you won't find elsewhere, processed using the honey method where beans are dried with their natural sugars intact — giving you that gorgeous sweetness in every sip. The result? Rich chocolate, sticky caramel and honey.
Huila
Colombia · Tesalia & Teruel · 1,600–1,750 MASLrevenue
given back
"A beautiful Colombian coffee with a bold chocolate base and dark berries that give it a nice twist." — Brew Crew
The coffee: This lot brings together 60–70 small-scale producers from the charming towns of Tesalia and Teruel in the famous Huila region, each farming just 2.5 hectares but collectively producing something truly special.
Grown at 1,600–1,750 metres under the shade of plantain, citrus and cedar trees, these beans are carefully washed and sun-dried to deliver a bright, clean, sweet cup. What Colombian coffee has become famous for runs deep here — you can taste every bit of it.
Some subscribers will also find a decaf option — both Papercup and Brew Crew have included Colombian decafs processed using the natural sugarcane method, which preserves the full flavour of the bean without the caffeine. Worth noting if you're an evening brewer.
COFFEE FESTIVALS TO VISIT IN 2026
If you want to take your coffee obsession to the next level, festivals are where it's at. They're not just for industry insiders — they're one of the best ways to try coffees from dozens of roasters in one place, improve your home brewing skills, and meet the people behind your favourite brands.
APR
Glasgow Coffee Festival
A sustainability-focused event hosted by Dear Green — and one of the most exciting coffee festivals in Europe. Perfectly timed with Papercup's feature in this month's box.
MAY
London Coffee Festival
The UK's biggest coffee event, hosted at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. If you can only make one festival this year, this is the one.
NOV
Manchester Coffee Festival
The North's biggest coffee celebration. Well worth putting in the diary now — it always sells out faster than you'd expect.
THE REALITY OF RUNNING RISE
Running a fast-growing coffee subscription business isn't always glamorous — especially with a toddler in tow. But we believe in being transparent about the journey, the good days and the harder ones.
How your box gets packed
Every RISE Coffee Box is hand-packed by our small team. No conveyor belts, no automated warehouses — just real people who care deeply about what lands on your doorstep. It's physical, repetitive work, and sometimes mistakes happen. When they do, we own it and make it right. Every time.
A note on our packaging
You may have noticed some temporary packaging recently — and we want to say thank you for your patience. Delays in cardboard manufacturing and global shipping disruptions meant a short-term switch. The good news: our refreshed boxes are now back in stock. We're really excited for you to see them.
Meet Parri
A big milestone for us this month: we've hired our very first team member. When we asked Parri why he joined RISE, his answer said it all: impact, quality, and potential.
He cares about the world, loves great coffee, and believes in what we're building. Safe to say, he fits right in. His favourite way to drink coffee? An "aspirational cafetière" — though real life and early gym runs don't always allow for the perfect brew time. We get it, Parri.
KNOW SOMEONE WHO'D LOVE RISE?
We've made it even easier to refer your friends. When they sign up using your link, they get £10 off their first box and you get £10 credit to spend on future orders. It's our way of saying thank you for helping grow the RISE community.
Refer a friend, get £10
Share your personal referral link and you both win. They get £10 off their first box, you get £10 credit. The more the merrier — great coffee is always better shared.
Refer a friend →COFFEE THAT DOES MORE.
This month's box is a reminder of what coffee can be when it's done right. It's not just about flavour — though there's plenty of that. It's about supporting producers, backing roasters who genuinely care, reducing environmental impact, and building a community around better coffee.
Every cup you drink this month supports two roasters who are doing things the right way. That means something to us — and we hope it means something to you too.
Enjoy every single cup. We'll be back next month with more.
— Alice & Ben ☕
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