2006 to be exact was when the pair were working together in a restaurant in London.

But let’s go back to the beginning… Roberto grew up in his family-run coffee shop in Verona and has always been in hospitality. He also happens to be a whiz at financial management and with finely-tuned organisational skills. Roberto left London in 2008 and started running his own busy coffee & wine bar in Verona.

Simone has spent over 17 years in the coffee industry, in everything from barista training, speciality coffee roasting and coffee exporting. He even upped sticks from his London life in 2010, after finishing in 6th place at the UK Barista Championship, and moved to Guatemala to learn more tricks of the trade. He got involved with a coffee exporting company and judged barista competitions throughout Central America.

He also secured 2nd place at the Italian coffee cupping competition in 2012.

While they have different backgrounds, they make a team as balanced as their tastiest blends.

After taking time out to spread their coffee-learning wings, the guys returned to the UK in 2012, reunited and 80 Stone began to form. They dove right back into the coffee industry, opening a busy cafe in Fulham. They christened it “Chairs and coffee”

They transformed a small area of Chairs and Coffee to roast coffee beans, buying a 5kg coffee roasting machine, the F.I.M.T (Fabbrica Italiana Macchine Tostatrici) from the 60’s .

Being dab hands at refurbishing, they brought the machine back to life and started a mission to roast and distribute their own coffee. And “80 Stone Coffee” was born. 

As 80 Stone grew, the guys soon saw room for the potential to bring even better experiences to the coffee lovers of London, and beyond.In December 2018, 80 Stone moved their entire roasting production to a brand-spanking shiny new industrial unit in Croydon

Find more coffee roasters in London on our UK coffee roasters map.