BERKELEY, Calif., USA and LONDON, UK – Bellwether Coffee, the technology company transforming retailers into sustainable on-site roasters, is announcing its pilot partnership with Square Mile Roasters, the award-winning coffee roasting company co-founded by specialty coffee pioneer James Hoffmann.
The partnership marks an important milestone for the clean micro-roastery movement in the UK and Europe, as it would allow Square Mile to roast in multiple locations across Europe and the UK with identical results and without a loss in quality or consistency.
The announcement comes after Hoffmann demonstrated Bellwether’s capabilities during a solar-powered roasting experiment in the desert of Indio, California in 2023.
“Sustainability is always top of mind, and last year’s roasting experiment proved to me that Bellwether’s roaster is capable of creating high-quality coffee with a drastically reduced carbon footprint,” Hoffmann said.
“Early results of test roasts are going well and we look forward to sharing more as we work with Bellwether to fine-tune our high-quality coffee now with a low-carbon footprint.”
Square Mile, which is based in London anticipates by partnering with the electric roasting company they will align the needs of Europe’s specialty coffee roasters and will provide critical product feedback for Bellwether as the pilot progresses.
Square Mile chose to test Bellwether’s machines because of its ease of use, consistent quality, the ability to onboard quickly, and its sustainable practices. Square Mile will use Bellwether’s new Shop Roaster, which enables more retailers to serve fresher coffee at a fraction of the cost while reducing their carbon footprint. Bellwether’s lower-cost roaster was developed in response to the increased demand for electric coffee roasting worldwide.
“James and Square Mile are important leaders in the micro-roastery movement not only in London, but in our global coffee community, and their pilot partnership with Bellwether helps prove to industry peers that electric roasting is the future,” said Ben Ireland, Managing Director – Europe of Bellwether Coffee. “The coffee sector is beginning to change to cleaner technology – and more roasteries understand that high-quality, clean results at a profit are attainable.”
The Bellwether Shop Roaster is a small-format, high-throughput electric roaster that seamlessly fits into any retail environment, allowing all businesses, even those with limited space, to roast hundreds of pounds of coffee each week. The fully automated system is offered as a countertop roaster or with a Continuous Roasting Upgrade and includes access to the Bellwether Green Coffee Marketplace – a global library of expertly sourced coffees paired with custom roast profiles, allowing retailers to source and roast fresh, world-class coffee. Because retailers can roast more than 20 kgs of coffee in a single operation, they can reduce costs while crafting consistently fresh, high-quality, delicious coffee while lowering their carbon footprint.
Electric roasting is a powerful alternative to gas–powered roasting, which generates 15% of the industry’s carbon footprint. The Bellwether Shop Roaster cuts wholesale coffee costs in half and reduces the carbon footprint of a pound of coffee by an average of 87%, for less than the cost of an espresso machine. Because the Bellwether system is simple to install and operate, anyone can roast the highest quality, most sustainable coffee. In addition, no gas lines, vents, construction, or training are required to set it up and start roasting.
