Coffee Roaster Introduction - Coaltown Coffee

Best Coffee's roastery guide is a compilation of the very best, tried & tested coffee roasters from around the world. We’ve hand-selected a small collection of amazing coffees for you to sample. Not all coffees are created equal, and not all coffees make it into our shop. So we’re starting a series of articles shining a light on our chosen roasteries to explain why we picked them for your drinking delight.

Coaltown Coffee

Where: Ammanford, Wales

Who: Founded by Scott James

Since when: 2014

Why: We like Coaltown for their entrepreneurial spirit, Scott, with help from Dad Gordon, built his first roaster by hand. Since then the company has been determined to bring industry back to their ex-mining hometown in the form of a new black gold – third wave coffee. On a sharp learning curve from the beginning, now the company has at their heart, a dedication to doing business in the ‘proper’ way, meaning they support all communities involved in their coffee.

What’s the story: Grandson of miner Ben Addis is on a mission to bring industry and opportunities back to ex-mining town Ammanford. Since the last coilery closed in 2003, the welsh town has become, as founder Scott James describes it; a deprived place. With a shrewd eye for busines and an interest in coffee; the 21 year old started Coaltown and started roasting a new type of black gold in Ammanford. Now with a few more staff and a attractive apprenticeship programme; Coaltown is creating job opportunities, as well as delicious retail and wholesale coffee from their HQ.

Sustainability credentials:

This B-Corp certified company put almost as much effort into sustainability and ethical trading as they do creating amazing tasting coffee. As well as working with specialty exporters to ensure traceable and ethically sourced coffee; they also support a range of charities designed to support the communities involved in their coffees from producers to consumers. Whether it’s promoting gender equality or mentals health work; Coaltown like to spread a little positivity along their trading lines.

They also use fully compostable or recyclable packaging, run their roastery on 100% renewable energy, donate coffee waste to local gardening groups and source their uniforms from Rapanui; a wind-powered factory specialising in organic, Fairtrade cotton garments.

Our favourite coffee:

Black Gold recyclable coffee pods - Coaltown believe that great coffee should be accessible, no matter your brewing method. So they’ve introduced their most popular, award winning espresso blend; now available in pod-form! The three coffees that form this blend are sourced directly from small growers at better-than-Fairtrade prices. Tasting notes of nutty milk chocolate & biscuit.