Meet Small Batch Coffee Roasters

For two decades, Small Batch Coffee Roasters have been part of the fabric of the Brighton & Hove coffee scene. What began as a local roastery has grown into a respected name in UK specialty coffee, built on precision roasting, long-term sourcing relationships and a genuine love for great flavour.

This month, we’re proud to feature Small Batch in RISE Coffee Box. Here’s a closer look at what makes them tick; from roast philosophy to community roots.

When we (Alice & Ben) first cupped Small Batch’s coffees, what struck us wasn’t just clarity of flavour, it was consistency - there coffee is always good. Every time we simple a round of coffees from roasters, they always come out in the top tier. After 20 years in the industry, they’ve built a team culture where quality is shared across the business.

Their weekly cuppings bring everyone to the table - from finance to baristas - which speaks volumes about how seriously they take coffee. It’s not siloed. It’s embedded.

For us at RISE, that alignment matters. We look for roasters who combine technical excellence with genuine care for the product, the producer and the people drinking it.

We spoke with the Small Batch coffee team and asked them a few of the burning questions we had:

What unique roasting techniques does Small Batch employ to highlight the distinct flavour profiles of different coffee beans?

At Small Batch, every coffee has its own personality, and Art, our Kiwi roaster, knows how to bring it out. Every roaster has their own winning techniques, and while they all work under the same scientific principles, it’s Art’s touch that shapes each coffee’s unique flavour. He carefully guides the temperature of each roasting bean, managing an even acceleration to reach the finishing temperature.  Ensuring the flavours develop exactly as they should. With our Colombian coffee, for example, Art has found that a medium roast really lets its caramel and cola notes shine, whilst keeping it versatile enough to taste great whether you brew it as a pour-over, filter, or espresso. It’s this combination of science, skill, and a bit of Art’s instinct that brings each coffee to its full flavour potential.

Can you share your approach to sourcing beans? How do you ensure that the coffee you roast is both high-quality and ethically sourced?

At Small Batch, we’ve always believed that great coffee begins long before it hits the roaster, it starts at the origin, with the people who grow it and the land that nurtures it. Sophie, our Head of Operations, takes sourcing just as seriously as roasting, getting to know the farmers’ stories, their approach to farming, and their commitment to fair working practices. A great example is our Colombian Excelso, grown by a talented female farmer, Juliana, whose dedication to quality and sustainability shines through in every bean.

We also work closely with trusted green coffee partners who share our values around quality, fairness, and environmental care. That means every coffee we bring into the roastery comes from farms and cooperatives that are rigorously vetted for quality and ethical practice, with full traceability back to the growing community. Our suppliers aren’t just middlemen, they build long-term relationships with producers, invest in quality, support farmer livelihoods, and create real economic impact at origin. They offer coffees from more than 30 regions worldwide, including organic and Rainforest Alliance‑certified lots, and programmes that promote equality and direct payment to growers.

Once the beans arrive, we roast, cup, and grade each lot so we can confidently send out coffee that’s not just ethically sourced, but genuinely exceptional in flavour, coffee we’re proud to share from farm to cup

What does your tasting process look like for the green coffee that comes into the roastery? 

At Small Batch, tasting coffee is an essential part of what we do. Every Tuesday, the whole team comes together for a cupping session to evaluate the green coffee arriving at the roastery. Cupping is a careful, methodical process: beans are ground, brewed, and tasted to assess aroma, flavour, acidity, body, and balance.

Art, our roaster, normally leads the sessions, using them to introduce new coffees, check that our core blends remain consistent, and explore how different brewing methods bring out each coffee’s unique character. It’s not just the roastery team who take part, everyone from finance to the barista team joins in, giving the whole team a firsthand understanding of the coffees we roast. It’s also where we come together as a team to decide tasting notes, which can cause some fun debates! 

How do you stay ahead of trends in the coffee industry, and have you recently experimented with any new roasting profiles or flavour combinations that excite you?

This year we’re celebrating 20 years of roasting coffee at Small Batch, and over that time we’ve learned that trends come and go, but great coffee lasts. Our approach has always been to let the origin and character of each bean guide the roast, so its unique flavours can shine. Taste is the founding principle of Small Batch, not trends. 

That said, we love experimenting with our range of Showcase, limited-edition coffees. Cherry Velvet, for example, showcases a unique coffee profile with vibrant boozy cherry and burnt sugar notes that pushes the boundaries of what an anaerobic coffee can deliver. Or our Ethiopia Aricha, whose more unusual hibiscus, rose and citrus flavours are highlighted through a precise roast that brings out its exceptional clarity. It’s these limited-edition lots as well as our ever rotating range of single-origin coffees that keep the roastery creative. 

How does Small Batch engage with the local community and what most excites you about the Brighton/Hove coffee scene?

Brighton & Hove has a huge and thriving coffee scene, with cafés and roasters dotted across the city. The cafe culture here is really special, all Brightions take their flat whites very seriously! It’s amazing to be part of such a close-knit community of coffee nerds!

Over the past 20 years, Small Batch has grown up alongside that scene, opening our cafés and roasting all our beans locally. We have two cafes within the city. One at Goldstone next to Hove train station (where our first roastery opened 20 years ago!) and another at the current Roastery in Portslade. Having the cafes gives us direct access to our customers, getting to know them and getting feedback on the coffee. Being part of that day-to-day rhythm is exciting in itself, and it’s been a real honour to see that recognised like this year, being nominated for a local BRAVO award for Best Café.

Small Batch represents what we value at RISE: craft over shortcuts, relationships over transactions and flavour above all else.

As they celebrate 20 years of roasting, we’re excited to share their coffees with our subscribers — from farm to cup, Brighton to nationwide.