Volcano Coffee Works is an independent speciality coffee roaster from South London. Founder Kurt Stewart started the business more than 20 years ago, serving coffee from a vintage Italian Piaggio Ape cart on Rosendale Road. The aim then is still the aim now: to bring seriously good coffee to more people.
From a coffee cart to a roastery
Kurt is originally from New Zealand. He brought together his background in fine dining and his love of coffee, and started roasting his own. Today Volcano roasts in West Norwood, where the team roasts, tastes and fine-tunes every coffee, with flavour at the centre of everything.
Over in Brixton you'll find their office, training facility and café, Door, where you can drop in and try their coffees. Volcano also supplies more than 250 cafés, restaurants and co-working spaces across the UK.
How they roast
Volcano roasts on a Loring S70 and a Loring S35, which give the team precision and consistency while using less gas. Their approach is flavour first: bringing out each coffee's natural sweetness, balance and character. The range runs from comforting, chocolatey coffees for an everyday flat white to seasonal releases for when you're feeling more adventurous.
Long-term relationships with growers
Long-term relationships are at the heart of Volcano's sourcing:
- Mió, Brazil: Volcano works closely with this producer and helps fund the Sombra agroforestry project there.
- Finca El Sal, El Salvador: they have partnered with fifth-generation farmer Rodolfo for more than nine years.
- Rebuild Women's Hope, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a women-led cooperative that supplies coffee for their Rise Up blend.
Sombra, the coffee they're most proud of
Sombra is a single origin from Mió in Brazil, with notes of dark chocolate, hazelnut and plum, turning toffee-like in milk. It also helps fund Volcano's agroforestry project with the farm, which explores regenerative farming: growing coffee alongside trees to improve soil health, support biodiversity and build resilience to a changing climate.
Coffee that does good
Volcano became a certified B Corp in 2021. They say they pay well above Fairtrade prices, with premiums that support farmers and lasting partnerships. Closer to home, they work with local charities in South London, and donate 15% of sales of their Crisis coffee to the homelessness charity Crisis.
Visit or buy their coffee
You can buy Volcano coffee on the Volcano Coffee Works website, and follow them on Instagram.
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