The Gentlemen Baristas open state-of-the-art roastery in Stratford

It features an environmentally friendly 35kg Loring Roaster.

The Gentlemen Baristas, one of London's leading speciality coffee roasters and coffee houses, is set to open its newest state-of-the-art roastery and experience centre in Stratford this month. With a focus on providing quality training and an inclusive environment, the 12,000 sq ft site on Maryland Road is set to meet the growing demand for speciality coffee in the UK.

The new site, which is more than six times the size of the baristas' former operation, features a 35kg Loring Roaster, one of the most environmentally friendly machines on the market. The roaster will improve batch efficiency, supplying wholesale coffee to Gentlemen Baristas' coffee houses, independent coffee houses, cafes, pubs, and restaurants across the country.

The roastery also boasts a designated event space, a cupping room, an SCA-specked school, and a UKBC standard practice area for aspiring baristas. The site's sustainable initiatives include new recyclable and reusable bags, a refill service for retail customers, and using coffee chaff, a byproduct of roasting beans, for biofuel.

According to Ed Parkes, Co-founder and Director of The Gentlemen Baristas, the new roastery is "the heartbeat" of their business, and the aim is to create an accessible and engaging open house. 

"Empowering people through education and training from farm to cup; this is a space for our team, friends, the coffee community, and the general public, something London's not seen before," Parkes said.

The Gentlemen Baristas' portfolio has grown since its launch in 2014 and now includes nine coffee houses, a flagship in Piccadilly, Mayfair, Southwark, Borough, London Bridge, Holborn, Hammersmith, East India, and Marble Arch, as well as collaborative sites in office buildings.