Six-figure move grounds out coffee firm growth

A coffee company is full of beans after a six-figure equipment upgrade.

Rounton Coffee has added a £150,000 commercial roaster to its production portfolio.

Bosses say the investment has lifted weekly packing levels beyond 2100 bags and helped secure new deals with customers as far afield as the Outer Hebrides.

Based in a former granary building outside the village of East Rounton, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, the business is led by David Beattie, who left behind a career in chemical engineering to found the company in 2013 following a visit to Sumatra.

He said: “Our growth still feels a bit surreal.

“We started life at farmers' markets simply as a way of sharing our love for really good quality, ethical coffee.

“We just wanted to share what we were passionate about, and we’ve been lucky that more and more people have also found a passion for quality coffee.

“And we are now shipping to the Outer Hebrides, where we have a wholesale partner.

“When I started the business in 2013, that would have been unfathomable.”

And with its commercial growth, David says the firm will continue backing social causes, having previously supported the North York Moors Trust and helped children from poorer Teesside postcodes connect with nature.

He added: “Using coffee as a force for good really matters to us.

“Our suppliers are paid fairly, and we want to improve lives closer to home too.

“We are a small team who were all born and live in the area, so it matters the business leaves a really positive footprint.”

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