RiSE wrapped is here! We have featured an incredible 24 different roasters throughout 2023 and we hope you have enjoyed them as much as we have!
Here is a recap of each month and roaster they featured!
Stewarts was launched in 1984 by coffee enthusiast Stewart Falconer. Ahead of his time, Stewart started selling his coffee via mail order to friends, local businesses and eventually nationwide. Years later Stewart handed his company to a new team and it is now managed by a growing team of coffee experts including Mark, Nathan and Monika. Stewarts is based in Nottingham and has three coffee shops called Blend, with one of them based next door to their roastery in Sneinton Market. They are proud to be based in a thriving part of Nottingham’s Creative Quarter and love talking to customers about all things coffee. We met Mark from Stewarts at Notts Coffee Festival and couldn't believe the queue of people wanting to try his coffee.
This coffee is produced by Jorge Elías Rojas Vásquez, is a 33-year-old producer who has dedicated more than 20 years to the production, processing and marketing of specialty coffee. When he was just 13 years old the war in Colombia took his father away from him and he dropped out of school to manage the farm. The farm is located in Planadas-Tolima at 1,850 meters above sea level, a region that is difficult to access and at the time of the war was controlled by guerrillas such as the Farc. Now, many years on, Jorge was awarded 39th place at the last Cup of Excellence competition for his exceptional Geisha Honey bean. This coffee is made up of different bean varietals including the very high quality and highly regarded Geisha. Definitely one to try as a filter if you can!
Based in Tate Britain, The Roastery at Tate values and invests in the relationships, quality, equality and sustainability of their coffee. That means that each and every kilo of coffee they buy is sourced equally from female and male producers, a model they call the Gender Equality Coffee Project. This project champions women coffee producers and family farmers who equitably share household income, resources and decision-making. Their range of coffees are from Latin America and both the artwork and the coffees themselves are designed to reflect the seasonality and diversity of coffee in the area.
It's been a while since we've put a Brazilian coffee in the box, but this one is a banger! This natural coffee comes from Sitio Tres Barras, a farm located in Sao Paulo estate. This farm has belonged to the Manasses family for at least 70 years. In 2001 the farm planted five thousand coffee trees of Yellow Icaty variety and five hundred trees of Tupy variety in the hope for increased quality. The farm now produces some of the most awarded and best tasting coffees year after year, and the farm is now fair trade certified. Best enjoyed as an espresso based drink or as a cafetiere.
Our good friend Dom launched Murmuration Coffee earlier this year with the ethos of celebrating unity and friendship in the natural world. Dom is passionate about sharing the hard work the farmers put into each and every coffee, and uses his expertise to draw out the natural sweetness of the coffee. We're pumped to feature his epic Gesha coffee in the box! Look out for content on our socials and website all about Murmuration and this excellent coffee.
6. March. Steadfast - Olfactory, Honduras & Uganda
The roaster
Based in Penryn, Cornwall, Olfactory first started back in 2010 by a couple that became obsessed with coffee during studying at university. They set out to run a coffee business with the values of quality, transparency and ethical trading and to this day these values are firmly in place. Working with long-standing partner farmers all over the world, Founder Mariya extensively experiments, profiles and roasts coffees to bring out the most exciting flavours and characteristics.
The coffee
In celebration of Ben & Alice's Uganda trip this March, we wanted to nod to Uganda with this coffee. The White Nile region in Uganda is in the Northwest part of the county and provides the chocolatey notes. These are perfectly complemented by the creamy hazelnut and sweet fig flavours from Ana Cecilia Esteves's farm in Honduras. This signature filter blend is the perfect brew for all filter methods from aeropress to cafetiere. There'll be more to share about Uganda in April's box!
Tasting notes
Hazelnut, milk chocolate and fig
7. April. Evanete Peres, Campbell and Syme, Brazil
The roaster
Campbell & Syme have been going strong for over 10 years. This 1% for the planet roaster supports several incredible sustainability initiatives, including tree planting and Project Waterfall - which works to provide clean water, sanitation and education to coffee-growing communities across the world. In their coffee shop in North London, they have introduced 20p paper cup charge for takeaway drinks which encourages customers to reduce waste by bringing a re-usable cup. They also turn old coffee grounds into coffee logs and biodiesel fuel for London buses. Amazing!
The coffee
Evanete Peres Domingues is at the head of the Paradise Estate Coffee, located in the district of Amanhece in the city of Araguari, state of Minas Gerais, in the Cerrado Mineiro. Evanete is a leader in high quality coffee production, in an industry and origin that is most often dominated by men. Her vision revolves around good post-harvest processing, well-trained employees, and respecting the environment around her farm. This sweet and balanced natural coffee is grown at a slightly lower altitude but in perfect conditions for coffee farming.
Tasting notes
Milk chocolate & tropical fruits - suitable for every brew method.
8. April. Kalingwe, Rounton Coffee Roasters - Uganda
The roaster
Rounton Coffee Roasters are a Yorkshire-based roastery, whose mission is to bring more accessibility to the world of specialty coffee. As with most things Yorkshire, they're a pretty straightforward bunch at Rounton Coffee Roasters. As they say, "we don't need to be the coolest, or take ourselves too seriously, so long as we're roasting dead good coffee". Their dynamic little team is fiercely passionate about coffee, people, and making positive change in the world around them. Throughout their 10 year history, they have forged close relationships with producers, and now have direct links to some of the most exciting coffee producing regions in the world. They believe that doing justice to the coffees they roast isn't just about making them taste great – it's also about giving back in a meaningful way to the places they're from. Since 2021, Rounton Coffee have paid an additional premium for each kilo of Ugandan coffee they source, supporting tree planting initiatives and community projects in the Rwenzori Mountains. This means that the Ugandan coffee in your bag is part of that total, adding to over 7,500 trees to date.
The coffee
Kalingwe is a village in Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains, situated at a dizzying 1,700-2,000 metres above sea level. Alice & Ben spent time hiking these mountains and meeting coffee farmers just a few weeks ago, with industry leaders in coffee agriculture & innovation, Agri Evolve. The coffee here is produced by a group of 100 smallholder farmers, who pick only the ripest red cherries which are the highest quality. Farmers here carry their coffee to the local buying station, who then transport it down to the Kisinga Coffee Station, often using donkeys. Once at Kisinga, the cherries undergo a carefully controlled natural processing, which imparts the complex tropical fruit notes you'll find in these beans. Head to RiSE’s YouTube to see the natural processing at this very station, plus videos with Kalingwe farmers!
Tasting notes
Orange, Raspberry, Mango - suitable for every brew method.
9. May. Loveshack, Heart & Graft, Guatemala
The roaster
We've been thinking about featuring Heart & Graft for a long time, since their distinctive brand and overall approach to coffee really stands out from the crowd. If you head to their website you'll see they have coffee "archetypes", defined types of coffees based on profiles for specific brew methods, helping coffee lovers to navigate the complex world of coffee. H&G first set up in a co-op space for artists and creatives based in Salford. Since then they have grown into an old mill building and are now the proud owners of a 75 kilo roaster. You'll find their coffees at most cafes in and around the Manchester area.
The coffee
This coffee is produced by Franciso Morales and his family, who have dedicated their lives to developing his farm and producing this sweet tasting, delicious coffee. The coffee is usually washed (which means the outer mucilage is taken off) before being fermented for around 24 hours and then dried. This year the farmer partly dried the cherries in the sun to enhance the flavour, before the washing process, which (together with the medium roast) has helped to create the balanced sweetness you can taste. Francisco has won several awards at the famous Huehuetenango Highland competitions and we can see why!
Tasting notes
Dark chocolate, dates and pears
10. May. Finca Palin, Blind Owl Coffee - El Salvador
The roaster
For the small team at Blind Owl Coffee, their journey has always been about community and collaboration - bringing people together and spreading a little bit of joy is why they do what they do, and if you happen to enjoy the coffee as well, then that’s a bonus in their eyes.
The team began roasting together in 2018, on their beloved roaster “Ozzy” in an old stable block. Since then, they've moved to a roastery near central Bristol which helped them to become a small hub enjoyed by coffee enthusiasts and newbies alike; it’s the perfect place for their coffee to begin its journey and to showcase some of the finest flavours from around the world.
The coffee
Finca Palin is a third-generation coffee farm owned and managed by Carolina Padilla. The coffee trees are surrounded by citrus trees such as limes and oranges, helping promote higher quality coffee production whilst also diversifying income. During harvest, the cherries are carefully hand-picked and delivered to a nearby mill. Here, the coffee is pulped to remove the exterior fruit and fermented for 10-12 hours. The coffee is then washed in canals of water to remove any remaining mucilage and foreign material. The freshly cleaned beans are then evenly dispersed on clay patios to dry until the ideal moisture content is reached. When this delicious green bean reaches us Blind Own in Bristol, they roast it to a medium profile in order to maintain and accentuate its delicious flavours.
Tasting notes
Green apple, milk chocolate and hazelnut
11. June. Twongerekawa - Rwanda, Small Batch Coffee
The roaster
Small Batch Coffee was founded in 2006 with the first coffee shop in Goldstone Villas in Hove. Today, they operate two cafés, along with a coffee cart and supply plenty more independent coffee shops all over the UK. Their award-winning roastery is located in Portslade, it’s the heart of the brand and where our ethically and sustainably sourced speciality coffee is roasted in small batches. In 2022, Small Batch were proud to be awarded Coffee Roaster of the Year in LuxLIFE's Food & Drink Awards and Best Specialty Coffee Roaster - Runner-Up in Allegra’s European Coffee Awards.
The coffee
This washed coffee was grown by the Twongerekawa Coko co-operative in the Gakenke district in Rwanda. The co-op works with over 1,200 local smallholder farmers, each with
an average plot of 1.3 hectares in size. Grown in rich volcanic soils, plentiful sunshine, and tropical rainfall all provide exceptional conditions for the cultivation of arabica beans (the only bean for speciality coffee!). The Bourbon variety of tree grows exceptionally well in this part of Rwanda's high altitude mountains.
Tasting notes
Black Tea, Chocolate & Grape
12. June. Dos Pueblos - Peru, Conscious Coffee
The roaster
Culainn and Lea are the founders of Conscious and are very passionate about their unique ethos to sourcing coffee. Their approach is to create supply chains that are sustainable, equitable and financially viable for every actor involved. In practical terms, they have set up direct relationships with Peruvian speciality coffee farmers who they hope to work with for many years to come. On their website you'll find transparent information about pricing from the farmer all the way to their warehouse, which helps educate coffee lovers about the end-to-end process of sourcing coffee. Definitely worth a read!
The coffee
This banging house espresso is sourced directly (via direct trade) from two small scale producers in Peru. One family, the Castro family, is based in the Andes Mountains and recently transitioned from producing sugar cane spirit, to specialty coffee. The other producer is actually made up of five producers from the Santa Tera District who worked in partnership with a bee conservation NGO, Bee Cause We Care 365.
Tasting notes
Chocolate, Caramel & Stone Fruits
13. July. Milky Wave, Colombia - Brew Coffee Plus
The roaster
We spent time hanging out with Brew Coffee Plus at the London Coffee festival this year. Dora and her Co-Founder Enea are both experts in coffee, having worked in the industry many years. Based in Streatham, South London, they are passionate about bringing 'precious, transparent, ethical coffee to your home and coffee shops'. They aim for up to 150% of the cost of production to go back to the farmers and to supporting local initiatives in their coffee producing regions.
The coffee
This washed coffee comes from the city of Popyan in the Cauca region of South Colombia. At 1600 metres above sea level, the coffee farms in this region are sheltered by the Andes mountain range, and are usually smaller than 5 hectares. This coffee comes from a group of 65 small holder farmers who work together to produce high quality arabica coffee. This deliciously chocolate tasting coffee is the ideal coffee to enjoy as a flat white or latte.
Tasting notes
Caramel, hazelnut and chocolate
14. July. Adola, Ethiopia - Moon Roast coffee
The roaster
We first featured Moon Roast in our very first RiSE box in 2020! Francis, Dan and the team welcomed us to their awesome roastery nestled in the countryside with open arms, and it's great to see that years on the business is still flourishing. The quality of their coffee is exceptional, with a wide variety of seasonal coffees on offer. It was a tough choice between this coffee and their Peruvian, "San Ignacio" coffee, but to be honest, all of their coffees are brilliant! If you're ever in the area of Alresford, definitely go and visit their space.
The coffee
This natural coffee has been roasted to perfection to bring out the sweetness, whilst balancing the citrus notes in the coffee. This coffee comes from the Adola dry mill, in the Guji region of south of Ethiopia, where coffee is ingrained in the culture of the Oromo people that live there. The high altitude of the region produces excellent cups, as well as delicious honey. Best suited to filter or drunk black.
Tasting notes
Caramel, peach and blood orange
15. August. Triple Co Roast - Buesaco, Colombia
The roaster
Triple Co Roast describe themselves as an "open access" roastery which means you are welcome to pop in and visit them anytime - they are based in Bristol and love having visitors come into the roastery. Aside from their amazing packaging, what we really love about Triple Co is that they foster direct relationships with every single one of their farmers in Colombia. They even make yearly trips to their partner farms to see the coffee being picked first hand.
The coffee
Sourced directly from the village of Buesaco in southern Colombia, the goal of this coffee is to achieve stable and sustainable prices for community farms through improved quality control, shared knowledge, and a connection to the specialty coffee market. Jose Gomez co-operative’s goal is to represent the producers and work with us as roasters, together creating a sustainable value chain. They buy the coffee from the farmers wet and in parchment, meaning the quality of the drying is down to the cooperative and not the farmers. This ensures that there isn't room for the drying process to go wrong due to environmental factors and ensures the farmer gets paid well year round.
Tasting Notes
Cocoa, Caramel, Cranberry
16. August. Bailies Coffee - Sao Silvestre, Brazil
The roaster
Bailies has been featured by us before and we absolutely love the ethos of this roastery! Bailies are a specialty coffee roaster based in Belfast, Northern Ireland with a desire to craft world-class coffee experiences that honour the skilled labour of our farming partners across the globe with dignity and fairness. They pride themselves on fostering ethical, sustainable, long-term relationships with some of the world’s finest coffee farmers and their communities.
The coffee
This natural coffee has quite different tasting notes compared to Triple Co's fully washed coffee. Although it's natural and fruity, it's actually been roasted for Espresso which makes it super versatile. The coffee is grown on the Sao Silvestre farm bu the Andrade family, who have been producing coffee for over 100 years! Bailies have partnered with this coffee farm directly for almost 10 years and know the family and their farm really well.
Tasting Notes
Hazelnut, Strawberry & Overripe Grape
17. September. Rosely Hernandez, Honduras - Danelaw Coffee
The roaster
Danelaw coffee has a majorly impressive CV when it comes to coffee! The founder David is a 2-time UK Coffee in Good Spirits Champion, a Q grader (licensed professional coffee taster) and is a frequent judge of World Barista Championships. He's been working in coffee for over 16 years and his passion and enthusiasm is off the charts! The name Danelaw links back to the area that David grew up in (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire), and is the 9th century name for this part of the world. It represents his connection to the farmers and local produce in this area, which David is so proud of.
The coffee
This coffee comes from a Co-Op of 86 women in Western Honduras, bordering Guatemala and El Savador. David met the farmer Roseley in 2018 who told him it was her "dream come true" to have this coffee launched by Danelaw. Her farm is a micro-lot in this cooperative and is run by her and her husband day-to-day. It's a robust coffee that can be drunk as an espresso with milk, or as a filter.
Tasting notes
Dark chocolate, red grape, caramel and walnut
18. September. Ayarzar Santa Rosa, Guatemala - Grindsmith
The roaster
Grindsmith are proudly #borninmanchester and the heart of the business is the Grindsmith Roastery based in the business district of Ancoats. They source their coffee directly in collaboration with the coffee farms and are proud of this. They have two cafes and use these as the perfect way to test out their new coffees with customers and gather feedback. We love their slick branding and were super keen to work with this Manchester power house!
The coffee
This washed filter coffee was processed at the Covoya cherry mill in Ayarza, Santa Rosa. The coffee is a classic example of a Guatemalan coffee, with sharp cranberry followed by juicy citrus notes and a creamy finish. The Ayarza cherry mill works with many farmers in the area to source a consistent red cherry. One of the farmers, Francisco has been working in coffee production since he was a teenager and works tirelessly to nurture and grow his farm to provide for his family.
Tasting notes
Cranberry, Lemon, Orange
19. October. Acacia, Ethiopian - Skylark
The roaster
Skylark is 100% not for profit, donating £1 per kilo to support both the environment and the people long exploited by coffee supply chains. Headed up by Micah Sherer (Head Roaster and Buyer) Skylark is based near Brighton, and supports a handful of local charities including Knepp Wildland Foundation, who is
a key environmental charity in the Southeast leading the way on rewilding, conservation and climate change. We love their transparent and honest business model, and are pumped to work with them this month!
The coffee
We tasted a handful of Skylark's coffees but were blown away by this community coffee - a natural coffee that is traditionally overlooked when considering Ethiopian coffees. Micah has carefully sourced this from working directly with farmers in Africa and was really impressed by how it scored against other Single Origins. We know not everyone likes a naturally processed coffee (it can taste a bit funky for some) but we'd love to know what you think of this one and hope you love it as much as we do!
Tasting notes
Red apple, Blackberry and Marigold
20. October. La Morena, Guatemala - Round Hill Roastery
The roaster
Round Hill are an exceptional coffee roaster who are often featured as the Guest Roaster at many of the UK's leading specialty coffee shops. Round Hill have been around a while, and were first founded in 2012 in Kelston Round Hill, a beautiful green space outside of the city of Bath. They work with their coffee farmer partners year after year and boast a fully renewable roastery as well as recyclable bags.
The coffee
The coffee you are drinking is either filter roast or espresso roast - we've tried to match this for you based on what you order from us. That being said, we've tried both roasts and they are exceptional. Guatemalan coffee is in season at the moment, and before long it will all be gone! So that's why we've had a couple of coffees from this area recently. This washed coffee is produced exclusively by female founders, 93 of them, to be exact.
Tasting notes
Honeycomb, Plum and Stewed Rhubard
21. November. Hard Lines Coffee, Big Blend, Brazil & Nicaragua
The roasters
We love Hard Lines who are based just outside of Cardiff, Wales
and have been smashing the coffee scene by sourcing sustainably and building long-lasting relationships at the origin to produce exceptional coffee. Based in Cardiff’s Central market, they are well known for their signature pink coffee, ‘The Barb’ named after their very own bright pink La Marzocco espresso machine ‘Barbara’. Founded by Matt, Sophie and Sam, they describe their roastery as "hot, heavy, fun" which sounds like a good time to us.
The coffee
This big and bold blend certainly is that - with two origins of coffees working in harmony to bring you bold flavours but also sweetness and a juicy mouthfeel.
Brew tip: Enjoy as an espresso drink or as a big body filter
Tasting notes
Sweet, complex, tasty
22. November. NEED Drinks, Breakfast Blend, Brazil & Uganda
The roasters
We met these brand new roasters during filming for a tv show (which may or may not be launching in the New Year...!) - half expecting their coffee to be fairly average. However we were really surprised to fall in love with the couple behind this brand, Nat & Jack, who have fresh enthusiasm for coffee and huge ambitions. Roasted in Sussex, expect this coffee roaster to explode in 2024!
The coffee
We really liked each of the three coffees they've launched so far, but especially their Breakfast coffee. This is their house coffee blend with a medium roast profile, aiming for the perfect balance between boldness and smoothness.
Tasting notes
Dark chocolate, bold cherry with a nutty citrus zing
Brew tip: Enjoy with milk for a smooth but satisfying espresso based drink
23. December. Sanctuary Coffee Rockin' Robin - Brazil
The roasters
We are big animal lovers at RiSE and are thrilled to partner for the second time with this worthy charity who donate £1 from every bag sold to animal sanctuaries and rescues across the UK. There are 3 million rescues, abandoned and abused animals in the UK that rely on donations to survive. Sanctuary supports 6 sanctuaries across the UK and are dedicated and passionate about the cause. All of their coffee is sourced directly too, and packaged in post consumer recycled (and recyclable) bags - making them the ideal partner for RiSE.
The coffee
This coffee is bursting with classic winter flavours. It has a sticky dried fruit acidity which sits perfectly alongside a spicy port-like sweetness, all rounded up with a velvety melted chocolate mouthfeel. The coffee is naturally processed, grown with care and transparency nestled in the vibrant town of Monte Santo de Minas, Brazil, and beautifully roasted in London.
Brew tip
To brew, Sanctuary recommends you opt for the filter brew method with a medium-coarse grind. After rinsing our paper with piping hot water, we add 16g of coffee to our brewer and follow this recipe:
Ratio 1:15
40g pour with a 45s bloom
50g pour until drained
50g pour until drained
50g pour until drained
50g pour until drained
Total 240g
Tasting notes
Dried fruit, marzipan and chocolate
24. December Perky Blenders Winter Blend - Brazil and Rwanda
The roasters
Perky Blenders was started in 2015 by husband and wife team Adam and Victoria Cozens with a mission to bring specialty coffee to their corner of London, Waltham Forest. This mission turned into wanting to make high-grade speciality coffee more accessible to everyone. Their core value is responsibility, which runs through everything they do and it's clearly a successful formula, today they are one of the most successful coffee roasters in the UK.
The coffee
This winter blend is bursting with vibrant, Christmas flavours. Made up of two origins, we have both natural and washed coffees present. The Brazil coffee is from the Sul de Minas area which proudly boasts a nature reserve that is home to jaguar and wolves. This incredible coffee is characterized by its sweetness and high body with distinctive chocolate notes. The second coffee is from the Rwamatamu farm in Rwanda, which was founded in 2015 with the goal of reducing poverty by creating local job opportunities. The estate has 20 hectares of coffee farmland which sits atop rich volcanic soil. The bean brings mild fruity notes and balanced sweetness.
Tasting notes
Milk chocolate, Plums and Chestnuts
Brew tip:
This coffee is really versatile and can be drunk using any brew method! We personally enjoy it as a Christmas style flat white.
From Alice and Ben and all the RISE coffee box team, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year fro 2023! We look forward to another year ahead of delicious coffee, tasty treats and more updates on our 1% Friendly Coffee Fund and how your coffee supports coffee farming communities.
Much Love,
x
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