Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters
Glen Lyon roast their coffee in the Scottish Highlands.
They started their journey back in 2011 at the top of one of the most beautiful glens in Scotland.
Armed with a 5kg roaster in a bothy (small hut or cottage) they initially sold their speciality coffee at local farmers markets. Their biggest challenge in the early days was getting the green beans delivered on a single track road.
In 2014 the roastery moved to Aberfeldy where they have been ever since. Now roasting on a 12kg Probat the business is thriving and Glen Lyon are showcasing some of the best coffee in Scotland.
One of the things that stood out for me with Glen Lyon, especially on their Instagram account, was the amount of greenery. Although their location is, of course, one of the most picturesque places in the UK, they also post many images of their other projects.
They are committed to zero waste and making their impact on the planet a positive one. Every year their team plants trees in the Highlands to offset their carbon footprint. All of their speciality coffees are 100% traceable and ethically sourced.
They build direct, long term relationships with producers and trading partners throughout the supply chain and pay the coffee farmers they work with significantly above Fairtrade prices.
Meet The Roaster
We spoke to the founder of Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters, Fiona about how it all happened.
How did it all begin up in the Highlands and what sparked coffee roasting?
I worked as a journalist in South America for many years during which time I got to meet coffee farmers and understand a little more about the supply chain from the producers’ side of things. It was an industry that had always fascinated me and one that I guess I hoped to work in eventually.
Many years later during a three-month family camping trip down the West Coast of the United States, we came across lots of micro-roasteries in many of the towns and communities that we passed through and this inspired me to set up a roastery back home in Glen Lyon.
Fiona - Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters
I installed a five-kilo roaster that I bought on eBay in the bothy next to our house and started selling small batch roasts in local farmers markets. One of my biggest challenges was getting lorries to deliver green coffee along 10 miles of single-track road, with several having to be regularly dug out of snowdrifts.
In 2014 we moved the roastery to Aberfeldy where we are now an international team of six, roasting on two state-of-the-art Probats and supplying freshly roasted speciality coffee across Scotland and beyond.
We love your passion for adventure and some of the images you guys post around the Highlands are breathtaking but we’re also aware that you like to visit coffee growing regions around the world. Where is next on your list when we’re able to travel?
We are so thankful to live where we do and are very aware that lockdown has been a hell of a lot easier for us than many others by having the beautiful Scottish Highlands on our doorstep. Having said that I miss travelling so much and can’t wait till I can visit our direct trade partners in Bolivia and Brazil again.
Glen Lyon Origin Trip To Kenya
3 words to sum up Glen Lyon.
Quality, Community and Collaboration
How has the industry changed for you guys in the 10 years you have been open?
There are so many more resources out there now than when we started out. Everything from SCA courses, to Scott Rao’s online masterclasses, as well as excellent books and articles and brilliant roasting software like Cropster. But that’s one of the best things about being part of the speciality coffee community, you can never stop learning.
What sets Glen Lyon apart from the others?
Since the outset we have been committed to putting people and the environment before profit. We are proud to offer job security in a remote rural area with good rates of pay and a welcoming work environment.
Our producer relationships are hugely important to us. Over 40% of the coffee we buy is through direct trade with farms that we have long term relationships.
Zero Waste is at the heart of our business and three years ago we worked closely with a German company to design a 1KG bag that would be wholly compostable but that would also preserve the flavour and freshness of our coffee. Last year we moved over to TUV Austria Home Compost certified 250g bags as well.
We are super proud to say that our roastery has been carbon neutral (for Scope 1 and 2) since 2018 and one of our favourite team days out every year is spent planting trees in Glen Affric.
Favourite Brew Method?
A French press which I treat like a large cupping bowl - it’s the Q Grader in me :)
Do you have any favourite coffee roasters in the UK?
I’m a huge fan of my fellow female-led coffee roasters here in Scotland at Steampunk and Dear Green.
What does the future have in store for Glen Lyon?
This year has seen us launch our Coffee Academy, in partnership with the youth charity Project Northern Lights, to support school leavers into work with a three-month mentoring programme, SCA qualifications and work experience. It’s no secret that this last year has seen an increase in mental health issues, anxiety and isolation in young people and we hope that our Coffee Academy will help boost participants’ confidence, skills and self-esteem and have a positive impact on helping young people find their feet and employment as we come out of this pandemic.
Latest Batch Coffee Reviews
The Origin
The Eratoi Coffee from Glen Lyon originates from East Timor.
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (more commonly known as East Timor) is a small tropical island nation situated in South East Asia and is one of the youngest nation-states in the world after gaining independence in 2002.
Coffee was introduced here by the Portuguese who first colonised the country in the 17th century, it then became the main export in the early 20th century.
Today there has been a huge focus on the quality of coffee that is produced by the coffee farmers of Timor Leste.
Timorese coffee is truly wild and organically grown underneath the imposing shade trees that dominate the landscape.
With time old traditions in processing coffee, passed on from generation to generation, coffee is helping to build up more opportunities for Timorese people to create a consistent and sustainable income from which to support and provide for their families and the local community.
The village of Eratoi is located at an altitude of 1800masl, an ideal height at which to cultivate and process coffee. Led by Simao Pedro de Deus, these 15 smallholder farmers have extensive experience in quality coffee processing and have consistently produced some of the finest quality speciality coffee in East Timor during the last few years.
2020 will be the second year in which our import partners Karst Organics has collaborated with the Eratoi cooperative; an experienced group of 15 smallholder farmers, with over 10 years of collective knowledge around high-quality processing of speciality grade coffee beans.
Working with the Eratoi farmers, the foundations for a lasting partnership have been established between not only Karst Organics and Eratoi, but also with the Rotutu cooperative. Opportunities between these two groups to share knowledge, experience and support are regularly encouraged, ensuring that there is no disparity in the quality of their coffee between the two different purchasing models, as ultimately coffee quality is always at the core of their work.
The Review
I have tried a few of Glenlyon’s coffees over the past couple of years and have never been disappointed.
Their knowledge of speciality coffee combined with a focus on direct trade make some of their roasts totally unique. The Eratoi from East Timor was exactly that, an origin that is extremely rare in the UK and a coffee that I couldn’t wait to open.
The coffee starts with a bright and crisp character. There are flavours of green apple that start at the front of the sip and carry through into the aftertaste.
The coffee has a medium acidity layering nicely with a sweet sugary undertone. The medium body acts as a platform for the complexities of the coffee to encompass the whole profile.
As the coffee cools the acidic and sweet flavours combine reminding me of orange juice.
With the bright and fairly complex profile, the Eratoi worked really well when brewed as an Aeropress or pour-over.
