Coffee Factory is an independent speciality coffee roaster at Seaton Junction, near Axminster, out in the countryside on the Devon and Dorset border. Husband and wife Danny and Justine started it in 2009, and a small team still roasts, rests, packs and ships every batch on site.
From a coffee bar to a roastery
Danny and Justine came home from travelling in Australia and opened a coffee bar in Axminster. They couldn't find a roaster they trusted to supply it, so they started roasting their own. Word of mouth did the rest, and Coffee Factory has moved premises three times as it has grown.
Today Danny is head roaster, and Justine looks after sourcing, trade customers and the team.
Dorothy and Penny: two vintage Probats
Coffee Factory roasts on two vintage Probat drum roasters, and both have names:
- Dorothy is a 22kg Probat UG from the late 1950s, restored with modern temperature probes, roast logging software and airflow improvements.
- Penny is a 1960 Probat LG12, named after Danny's primary school teacher, who recognised his dyslexia.
Their style is balance-led and espresso-focused. They roast a little longer and slightly darker than many speciality roasters, for more caramelisation and a little less acidity, without roasting the acidity out completely. Single origins are roasted medium-light.
How they source their coffee
Coffee Factory works with a small group of importers who audit the farms they buy from, and growers are paid a premium above their cost of production. They aim for full traceability across the range. The menu changes with the seasons, and the team tastes every coffee weekly.
Black Bear, their flagship blend
Black Bear is Coffee Factory's biggest seller. It's a medium-dark roast built on two single-origin coffees from Brazil and Central America, both scoring 83+ on the SCA scale, with notes of malt chocolate, cherry and roasted hazelnut. It's a Great Taste Award winner and works black or with milk, on espresso, cafetière or filter.
Award-winning, and good to cafés
Coffee Factory has won Great Taste, Taste of the West Gold and Food Drink Devon awards. Its packaging is recyclable, its pods are home compostable, and it offers free barista training to the cafés it supplies.
Buy their coffee
You can buy Coffee Factory coffee on the Coffee Factory website, and follow them on Instagram.
Blue Coffee Box has featured Coffee Factory in our subscription box. Discover more of the independent UK roasters we work with.
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