# Coaltown roasters, Carmanthenshire



## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

I'm behind on my reading - last Saturday's Guardian included an interesting article about these roasters with a mention along the way of Bristol's Extract. I can live without the addition of 'coffee-preneur' to the dictionary.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/mar/27/artisan-roasters-black-gold-uk-coffee-lovers-coaltown-extract


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## Chris_on_caffeine (Jul 21, 2012)

Phil104 said:


> I'm behind on my reading - last Saturday's Guardian included an interesting article about these roasters with a mention along the way of Bristol's Extract. I can live without the addition of 'coffee-preneur' to the dictionary.
> 
> http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/mar/27/artisan-roasters-black-gold-uk-coffee-lovers-coaltown-extract


I have issues with this article. I can assure you, artisan roasters that have started in the last few years have not struck black gold. Those that appear to have done so, are purely throwing money at a project, hoping that it sticks. One particularly famous subscription roaster started a year or two ago had venture funding of £2.5m fund......... in my mind that's just pure insanity. You need to sell an awful lot of coffee to even begin paying that back.

Those that have struck black gold are the ones that have been around for quite a few years and grown organically. I would also like to add more weight to the paragraph that states 'only 1% of the market is specialty'. That's not very much at all is it? Then think how much of that 1% is swallowed up by the above mentioned seasoned organic players in the biz.

It's easy to become a coffee roaster, you just buy a roaster. Becoming a successful/profitable roaster is more difficult than you could ever imagine.

Still, happy days


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## Chockymonster (Jan 21, 2013)

smokeybarn said:


> It's easy to become a coffee roaster, you just buy a roaster. Becoming a successful/profitable roaster is more difficult than you could ever imagine.


The same is true of many a trade (although with different equipment!) Having the gear and a flashy website does not equate to a decent product.

Competing against those that don't even calculate what it takes to break even, let alone make a living is soul destroying.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

smokeybarn said:


> I have issues with this article. I can assure you, artisan roasters that have started in the last few years have not struck black gold. Those that appear to have done so, are purely throwing money at a project, hoping that it sticks. One particularly famous subscription roaster started a year or two ago had venture funding of £2.5m fund......... in my mind that's just pure insanity. You need to sell an awful lot of coffee to even begin paying that back.
> 
> Those that have struck black gold are the ones that have been around for quite a few years and grown organically. I would also like to add more weight to the paragraph that states 'only 1% of the market is specialty'. That's not very much at all is it? Then think how much of that 1% is swallowed up by the above mentioned seasoned organic players in the biz.
> 
> ...


Does this article actually add anything, then, or is it simply another exercise in filling space in the financial section of the paper? Part of the problem is that the title given to the article isn't matched by the content - other than the paragraph that quotes the £7.2bn figure and the not newsworthy implication that black gold is lucrative for coffee big business. In essence the article describes a father and son garage band operation, written by a freelance business writer. If the article does add anything, it seems to me, it makes a contribution to normalising independent coffee roasters although you're right in that it doesn't spell out that it's more difficult than splashing out £40k on a roaster. In that sense, and as implied by Chockymonster's post, the article is a lost opportunity to explore what it is about their business plan that suggests they can succeed and how they are '&#8230;"trying harder" to win new customers and keep loyal fans' by the quality of what they are producing. (Presumably someone on the forum knows something about the quality of what they are producing.)

As chockymonster


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## Marocchino (May 1, 2019)

Just picked up on this old thread and thought I'd add some more limited info to the story. For what it's worth, I was taken as a treat a few weeks ago for lunch and a coffee at their Ammanford based Roastery Canteen. The layout was pretty impressive - I've never seen in my area La Marzocco Modbar AV equipment before, neither have I seen coffee menus that included Chenex, V60, Kyoto and Kalita coffee styles .... perhaps I need to get out more!

The welcome was friendly and the overall experience interesting and engaging. My wife enjoyed her flat white and I remember her commenting that it had a good well rounded flavour, my single espresso after lunch was fine. I can't comment on the bean type I had as it's slipped my mind and never thought I'd be writing about my experience. I chatted with the barista in between a steady stream of orders - hopefully I wasn't too much of a nuisance. I am not a reviewer as this short on substance note shows, but it demonstrates that the Coaltown journey continues.


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## Beanedict (Aug 14, 2017)

Just like to add my observations to the thoughts of @Chockymonster and @smokeybarn. As a hobby/passion, I search for new to me specialty coffee roasters in UK, building the list of beans they offer. Over the past year or two, I found that quite a few of the newly cropped up roasters, went out of business, shut the shop. Looking at the prices of good green beans, the shopping attitudes of population in the UK (which is improving, by the way, but not fast enough) and the profit margins, it seems that the only people who can strike real gold, are the ones with powerful brand and cheap beans. It must be hard to keep high integrity and competitive prices, as a good specialty coffee roaster.


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## rdpx (Jul 18, 2016)

There's a small cafe near to my mum in Pembrokeshire (PWNC, in Newport) that uses Coaltown beans.

They use their Espresso blend No.3.

It's by a long distance the best coffee available in the area.

On the strength of trying that one there I'd certainly say their other beans were worth a try, if anyone was curious.


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## matted (Sep 30, 2019)

noticed an Adrian Chiles piece on Coaltown in the guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/food/commentisfree/2020/feb/27/coffee-alone-wont-transform-a-former-pit-town-but-it-can-inspire-people


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