From First Roast to Full Steam Ahead: Our 2025 Recap & 2026 Plans
Looking Back on Our First Year
2025 was the year everything truly began for us. A year of firsts, learning curves, early mornings, brilliant conversations, and a lot of very good coffee.
This post is a chance to pause, reflect on what we achieved during our first year operating as a small specialty coffee roastery, and look ahead to what we’re excited to focus on in 2026.
2025 is the year we felt like a “real” business, roasting and selling our own product, knowing that our friends, customers, supporters were getting something that we took time and care to produce. It’s been busy and tiring at times as we juggle other employment roles as well as scaling the business.
2025 at a Glance
Before diving into the detail, here are a few highlights from our first year:
- Roasted our very first batch of coffee on 8th February 2025
- Launched eight coffees in total, all sourced ethically
- Went live with our website in March
- Expanded our offering with a horse box at farmers’ markets
- Attended more local events
- Opened the roastery to the public every weekend from August onwards
- Welcomed our first wholesale customers
- Greeted customers from home and abroad
- Made lots of new four-legged friends
- Grew our social media reach into the thousands
- Attended the London Coffee Festival
- "Met the Farmer" at a Mercanta hosted event
From Our First Roast to Customer Favourites
On the 8th of February, we roasted our very first batch of coffee: Brazilian Bom Jesus. That moment marked the true beginning of our coffee roasting journey. It was the start of our journey as a small-batch coffee roaster, focused on quality, transparency, and flavour.
From there, our range steadily grew. Over the course of the year, we launched seven more coffees, all sourced through ethical suppliers we’re proud to work with. As customers began tasting and sharing feedback, clear favourites emerged. Our South American coffees quickly found a loyal following, and our whisky-infused coffee developed a fanbase of its own.
Taking Coffee on the Road: Markets, Events & Community
As the year went on, we looked for ways to meet customers face-to-face. Adding the horse box allowed us to expand our presence at Solsgirth Home Farm farmers’ markets and give people the chance to sample a wider range of our coffees before committing to buying a bag of beans. It’s a nice touch that we’re proud to be able to offer.
We also attended several other local events, especially over the Christmas period, helping us spread the word about what we do while supporting the local community. These days weren’t just about selling coffee, they were about conversations, connections, and seeing people genuinely enjoy what we’d created.
While we enjoy getting out from the roastery to spread the word about our product, our favourite event is still the monthly farmer’s market at our home on Solsgirth Home Farm because we get the opportunity to chat and show people where and how we roast the coffee. The technical, science-y roasting side is the fun part!
Opening the Doors: Welcoming Customers (and Their Dogs)
From August onwards, we opened our roastery to the public every weekend - something that quickly became one of the most rewarding parts of the year.
We welcomed customers from close to home and from further afield, including visitors from abroad, and found ourselves chatting not just about coffee, but about travel, places people had been, and journeys still to come. Alongside our human visitors, we were delighted to welcome plenty of furry friends into the roastery too, which very quickly became part of the experience.
Somewhere along the way, we also started doing a bit of home baking, a small addition that made visits feel even more relaxed and personal.
Reaching More People: Wholesale & Online Growth
Another major milestone in 2025 was welcoming our first wholesale customers. We now supply a growing mix of cafés, accommodation providers, farm shops, and honesty shops - including our long-term friends at Solsgirth and Brucefield Estate. Seeing our coffee enjoyed in different settings has been incredibly rewarding. Supplying wholesale coffee has become an important part of our business, helping more people experience our coffee beyond the roastery.
Alongside this, our social media presence grew steadily. After a few technical glitches (and a Facebook relaunch), our overall viewership reached into the thousands, highlighting that more people were discovering what we do and choosing to follow along.
What 2025 Taught Us
2025 came with plenty of learning. We learned how to adapt quickly, problem-solve on the go, and accept that not everything goes to plan first time. We also learned that coffee takes up far more storage space than you ever think it will! A lesson learned somewhere between the first delivery and the fifteenth reshuffle.
Most importantly, we learned how valuable customer feedback, conversations, and community support really are. The google reviews and kind social media comments have led more customers to discover our small coffee-filled corner of the world, and for that we will always be grateful to those who have taken the time to share a good word or two.
Looking Ahead to 2026: What’s Brewing Next
We’ve got a strong feeling that 2026 is going to be an even more exciting year.
An outdoor seating area is set to be completed, creating a welcoming space to sit, relax, and enjoy coffee in the fairer weather. Inside the roastery, we’re planning to start decorating properly - adding signage, personal touches, and details that make the space truly feel like our own.
We’re also hoping to expand our offering with a simple food menu, including soups and sandwiches, to complement the coffee and baking. And on the coffee front, we’re planning to grow our range further, with blends making an appearance (we’re very excited about this! We think they’re excellent).
Alongside all of this, we’ll be focusing on developing our ecommerce offering, growing our social following, and supplying more wholesale customers to help even more people experience the quality and exceptional taste of our coffee.
Thank You for Being Part of the Journey
None of this would have been possible without the support of our customers, suppliers, wholesale partners, and local community - both two-legged and four-legged. Thank you for being part of our first year and for helping shape what comes next.
We can’t wait to share what 2026 has in store.
