Ask the Roaster - Fabio from Notes Coffee Roasters

How was the Roastery founded, what was the inspiration?

Since I started serving coffee in London – first from a coffee cart in a market, and then from our first Notes Coffee shop – I always dreamed of roasting our own. My grandparents had a coffee farm in Brazil and being able to continue the family tradition is my inspiration. I also knew how poorly paid many coffee farmers are and saw the opportunity with speciality coffee to serve a higher quality cup which coffee growing communities could be properly rewarded for. We started roasting in 2013 and haven’t looked back.

What's your favourite part about working at the Roastery?

I love working in all the areas of the roastery – from sourcing beans all the way to brewing a delicious coffee. I keep in touch with our barista teams and trade customers by driving our van sometimes, delivering coffee. The days I enjoy most are when I am developing the roasting profile for each new coffee we get, experimenting with different roast times, temperature gradients and styles. It is amazing to see the transformation and range of tastes of the coffee beans - it is a magical part of the job.

What's your proudest accomplishment?

One of our proudest accomplishments was working with Selfridges on their speciality coffee offer. They were really excited to work with our single origin direct trade coffees, especially from female farmers. So we sourced and roasted coffees from a Brazilian farm accredited by the International Women’s Coffee Alliance, and from a social enterprise empowering women in Myanmar.

What three words best describe your Roastery?

High - Grade - Coffee

What’s your favourite place to enjoy a coffee, and what coffee would that be?

My favourite place to enjoy a cup of coffee is during my trips to coffee origins, being lucky to experience the local cuisine and watch how coffee is prepared in different parts of the world is a very exciting and joyful moment. I take my coffee black, preferably filter coffee. And if I’m not on a farm, the filter coffee at Notes is always very good!

Finally, what Dog & Hat combination would you choose?

Border Collie in a Stetson Cowboy Hat!