About PLOT roasting
PLOT roasting is a small roastery of speciality coffee originating in London. Their motto is: roast, taste, repeat.
We are a small team that values precision and taste. Responsible coffee sourcing combined with precise and consistent roasting means that we can reliably deliver exciting and unusual coffee experiences. We like to establish relationships with companies that just do it- simple. Our team combines their knowledge of agriculture, logistics, engineering, roasting and business and provides perfect customer service together with excellent coffee, to which you will return again and again.
Ethical sourcing is of the utmost importance to us and we are building a network of producers and cooperatives who we know and trust. All our purchasing decisions are made as a team, based on a balance between cup quality and impact on social and environmental sustainability. Transparency in the supply chain is key in ethical purchasing and we can always let you know who grew your coffee, at which farm and often tell you the exact day it was harvested too. Our mission is to develop long term relationships directly with producers who share our values and passion for quality, so that we can rely on each other as allies in the industry and trust the entire process is as open, fair and honest as it can be from end to end.
Can you introduce your roastery in a couple of sentences?
We are committed to sourcing the best coffee beans from farmers we know and love and introduce them to as many people as possible. Good relationships make good coffee. We can tell you exactly who grew the coffee, on what farm, and usually, we can even tell you the exact day it was harvested.
What is the story behind your name and logo?
The name PLOT represents our most important aspects of business:
- acquisition: we are looking for new micro-lots that grow in unique locations and that are taken care of by innovative farmers and producers
- roasting: we change the temperature during roasting to create our own unique profile and while maintaining consistency. This is where the logo comes from - the roasting curve.
- mission: our intention is to bring great coffee to as many people as possible and tell the story of the people who produced it.
What's the hardest part about running a roastery?
Being a roaster means that we tend to be constrained to work in our little bubbles. Rarely do we have the opportunity to talk to people who drink our coffee, unlike baristas for example. That's why it's something special when someone comes to tell us how much they value what we do.
What is one thing that people still don't get about coffee?
One thing that absolutely fascinates me and also what a lot of people don't realize or take for granted- the journey from seed to cup is very long: grow - harvest - process - dry - prepare - send - store - roast - prepare. If something goes wrong in only one of these phases, the whole batch can be ruined. It is a path that requires the hard work and care of every person who gets involved in this process.
What is one thing would you like to do differently if you got to start all over again?
I wish I had spent more time planning out our workspace and anticipating growth. But we are working on it!
Whose one person in the industry that people should know about?
There are a lot of inspiring people in the industry, but I think farmers are the ones who deserve the most recognition.
What has been your biggest downfall thus far?
We had a very special Geisha, which we had for a long time and we wanted to show at the London Coffee Festival, but it was moved due to COVID-19. When we were about to release her into the world, we were shaken by how bad she tasted after the first roast. Woody, old and unusable. :(
What are you most proud of?
Of our team. The people I work with are amazing. They bring so much passion to their positions and are constantly coming up with new ideas.
What will the speciality coffee market look like in 2025?
Consumption of speciality coffee is growing every year, so we can only expect a natural and straightforward progression into the mainstream market via supermarkets. And also the development of new varieties that are more resistant, such as the new Ethiopian varieties that are currently being developed and that will hopefully bring the desired immunity on top of an already interesting taste profile.
Tell us about "the cup" - the best cup of coffee you've ever tasted?
I'm lucky to have gotten to taste a lot of great coffee and we have so many more amazing samples on the way. It's very hard to choose the best one. But the one that stuck to me is my very first espresso in 2008, a naturally processed Mexico. It's actually what probably kicked me towards the world of speciality coffee.
