Our Story

Some years ago, Lewis, owner and Head Roaster, joined a fascinating tour of London led by a professor of 16th-century history. What started as a tour quickly became the inspiration for something much bigger.

The tour explored how coffee first came to England, introduced by a Portuguese trader, and how this new drink gave rise to the coffee houses of London.

These early coffee houses were far more than places to drink coffee. They became meeting places for people with shared social, political, educational and spiritual interests. People came together to exchange ideas, discuss the issues of the day, share information and simply spend time in each other’s company. In many ways, they became places where conversations could shape ideas, influence opinions and bring people together.

That idea stayed with Lewis.

With more than 10 years of experience in coffee roasting, he wanted to create something that captured that same spirit — somewhere centred around great coffee, but where the coffee was only part of the experience. A place where people could meet, relax, talk, eat, drink and enjoy themselves.

After many months of hard work transforming and developing the roastery, we opened the doors to The Roastery in December 2023.

Today, we roast our coffee in-house, carefully selecting beans from producers around the world and developing each roast to bring out the best in the coffee. Alongside it, we’ve created a welcoming, family-friendly space where great coffee sits alongside local food, pastries, drinks, music and events.

We’re proud to be a small, independent, family-run business. You’ll often find the kids running around and “helping” Daddy while we work — because The Roastery isn’t just our business; it’s something we’ve built as a family.

We’re also passionate about supporting other independent and local businesses, working with great producers and suppliers wherever we can.

At the heart of everything we do is the idea that inspired Lewis all those years ago: coffee has always been about more than coffee. It’s about bringing people together.

And that’s what we hope The Roastery can be — a modern-day coffee house, where good coffee starts great conversations, creates connections and brings people together.

Good coffee. Good food. Good people. Welcome to South Downs Roastery.