Horsham Coffee Roaster
The Inspiring Horsham Coffee Roaster is based in Sussex, UK.
Their passion and drive for high quality coffee coupled with their ethical practices have ensured Horsham are always on the speciality coffee map.
Back in 2012, there were a fraction of the specialty coffee roasters there are today. With their 1kg roaster in their garage, Horsham wanted to showcase the amazing results they were able to achieve on their small-batch roaster.
They have come a considerable way from the garage back in 2012, although they are still a small team their drive and focus is still the same.
They source the best coffee beans in the world that has been traded ethically and then use the latest technology alongside experience and quality control to roast the coffee to the highest possible standard.
Horsham Coffee Roasters began much like many other coffee roasters in the UK, testing the water at their local market. After a year of successfully selling their ground coffee in the infamous British weather and obtaining a loyal customer base, they decided to opt for a more permanent residence.
This allowed them to focus on the sourcing and wholesale side of things as well as the space to increase their roasting capacity.
Through their market presence, they very quickly found local customers keen to use their coffee. Now a few years on they have a wholesale family that reaches from the South of England to Scotland and into mainland Europe. The business has moved twice to facilitate growth and they now roast using a 35kg Loring S35.
Alongside the philosophy that has informed their development over the years their core focus for sourcing has become their Relationship Coffees. These are coffees sourced by Horsham Coffee Roasters through direct links with farmers and producers alongside their import partners.
Currently, they have established partnerships in Rwanda, Kenya and Costa Rica. Well-chosen importing partners are essential to match them with farmers and co-operatives that are dedicated to producing speciality grade coffees.
Horsham Coffee Roaster is committed to purchasing ethically traded coffees with full traceability to its origins. We also endeavour to obtain full transparency of our coffee’s financial trail, giving us and our customers, peace of mind that each farmer has been well paid for the outstanding coffee they produce.
In 2019 Horsham Coffee roasters partnered with One Tree Planted with a commitment to plant one tree for every 1kg of Rwandan and Kenyan coffee sold via their website and to our wholesale customers.
Their low emissions Loring S35 keeps their emissions low but planting trees puts them into carbon credit. You can visit their tree planting page to read more about the project.
We sip and slurp coffee from all over the world. Discover which of these were our teams favourite.
Relationship coffees and direct trade.
Horsham Coffee Roaster is committed to using direct trade in sourcing their coffee in order to ensure a fair and transparent price for coffee producers that is above and beyond the Fairtrade base price.
In the UK we are extremely fortunate to have numerous speciality coffee suppliers, however, their goal has always been to source coffee directly from origin so that they can work towards building sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships with coffee-producing communities.
They have contributed significantly to certain areas of the coffee-growing world. Especially Rwanda, where they regularly visit. Donating to washing stations and helping build and repair local infrastructure like schools.
In 2017 they introduced the title ‘Relationship Coffee’ to signify which coffees they have obtained through these special relationships, but also to address some of the ambiguity attached to the term ‘direct trade’.
It is not always clear who is responsible for the direct trade and although it is often used to signify a direct link with producers, in reality, this link may involve three or four parties in between producer and roaster (e.g. farmer - washing station - exporter - importer - roaster). With this type of structure in place, it can be very challenging for the roaster and coffee producer to make a direct connection.
The Origin
The Cafe Femenino coffee from Horsham coffee roasters originates from the Caranavi valley region of Bolivia.
Bolivian coffee isn't easy to get hold of in the UK as they produce a relatively small amount, and it's a logistically challenging country to export from.
This coffee comes from a small group of 42 women coffee producers who work together as a cooperative of farmers assisted by the Cafe Femenino organization.
Here’s an insight into Cafe Femenino
'Overcoming a variety of barriers, including geographic isolation, rugged terrain, and traditionally lower status in society, the women of Café Femenino Bolivia Program have successfully improved their coffee-producing livelihoods, their prospects, and the health of their families and communities.
It all started in 2009, when the women separated their coffee production from the men's, created a women's association, and started their own Café Femenino Program in Bolivia.
One of the first advancements the women in Bolivia achieved upon joining Café Femenino was having their names included on the titles to their land. By doing so, the land remains with each woman if she becomes abandoned or is widowed, thereby protecting her from further poverty for herself and her children.
Psychologically, this act instils a sense of value and ownership over each woman's livelihood and business. This is a powerful means of creating self-esteem for women accustomed to being viewed as servants to their husbands.
Rwandan Coffee | Photo: Sucafina Speciality
The women have reported a host of positive changes in their lives and their communities since joining Café Femenino in 2009.
For them, the most valuable difference is their successful creation of a cooperative space in which all women have educational opportunities and the chance to have their voices, ideas, and opinions heard at the highest level of leadership.
The changes these women have fought for have taken them far from the positions of inferiority and subjugation from which they started. Beginning from a place of low self-esteem and self-worth, the Café Femenino Bolivia Program women now view themselves as businesswomen in charge of their destiny. And with the control of their own money, they can funnel their resources in the direction of their children and community.'
The Review
The Cafe Femenino from Horsham has a fairly subtle fragrance when you open the bag, definitely something sweet waits for you, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what.
The brewing coffee is similar to the unground coffee, enticing sweet aromas permeate from the cup with a hint of something earthy.
The coffee has a medium body that starts with a notable sweetness at the front of each sip. Mandarin becomes more pronounced through the middle and then carries into the aftertaste.
The acidity is fairly muted throughout the brew and this enables the sweetness to evolve from the juicy mandarin flavours into more intensely sweet molasses.
A real easy going coffee that is super versatile.
It worked really well for me as a cafetiere where the sugary sweetness really stole the show.
