Newground Coffee is an Oxford speciality coffee roaster with a mission: to give people leaving prison the training and work they need for a fresh start. Every bag they sell helps fund that, and the coffee is excellent too.
Coffee with a purpose
People who leave prison without a job or training are far more likely to reoffend. Co-founder Joel Grates set up Newground to change that, building a coffee business that creates paid jobs and training for ex-offenders, alongside buying great coffee from small farms around the world.
His love of coffee started with a natural Ethiopian, brewed by a family member at a wedding: the first time he'd tasted coffee beyond the supermarket kind. Fruity, floral Ethiopian coffees are still his favourites. A trip to Australia and New Zealand, and their café culture, sealed it.
How they roast
Newground began by having its coffee roasted under contract, then moved into its own roastery in Oxford and bought a Loring S15, an efficient roaster that gives them precise control over every batch. The roaster even has a name: Lauren. Their coffees change with the seasons, with new single origins arriving through the year.
At home, Joel brews with a Moccamaster or a Kalita for clean, clear filter coffee, and his advice to new roasters is to build a network: "connect with as many people as possible."
Visit or buy their coffee
You can buy their coffee, and find out more about their work with ex-offenders, on the Newground Coffee website.
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