Colonna Coffee - Bristol

From Maxwell's first 5kg roaster in 2016 to a 12kg; a 35kg; and more recently a 70kg! It's been great to see Maxwell's business grow. Maxwell is an innovator and disruptor, so when he started roasting it was always going to be different. His U.S.P was - 'True Specialty Coffee in a coffee POD'. The first to do it and some may say still the only one.

Maxwell was looking for a roaster with a lot of airflow and flexibility for his style of roasting - fortunately that is exactly what a Diedrich can offer. He was also after good support; we were able to help him with that first 5kg roaster and he has not looked back since.

The Story of Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood & Colonna Coffee

It was a natural progression for Maxwell to start roasting, from opening Colonna & Smalls in Bath, to competing and placing in the finals in the World Barista competitions; it was clear that sourcing and roasting coffee was the natural next step. Maxwell had always looked to be different in his competition sets, introducing the science of water and taste to the finals, for instance. Not surprisingly, he brought that disruptor mentality to his new roasting business. Why try and compete for all the same clients as your competitors? Surely it's better to open up a new market, by introducing specialty coffee to people who use capsules as their preferred extraction method.

It’s not an exaggeration to say he created specialty coffee-style capsules here in the UK. He understood the limitations of only using 5.5 grams of coffee to yield an espresso. By its nature, it's the darker roasting or burning of the coffee that leads to that body (extraction of coffee). He innovated to create a short Lungo, if you will, to create a specialty coffee that can be delivered by capsules.

This is where Jamie (as part of Rubiaceae Consulting and Diedrich Roasters) was able to help. The use of more air whilst roasting allows for a cleaner coffee. It’s more complex than this but broadly true to keep it simple. So, along with the use of air (convective energy) and understanding of the radiant energy produced, Maxwell could roast lighter but increase the yield; perfect for a system using only 5.5 grams of coffee. He started on the 5kg, but growth was quick and he was soon using the Diedrich CR-35 roaster. This commercial roaster has the power to allow you to adjust the thermodynamics more; once dialled in it’s also very consistent.

As with any new business, or indeed any business, it was important that Colonna Coffee had great support. Delays to business in those first years and you can lose momentum. You need consistent and cost-effective production. If you’re relying on one roaster to keep production moving, then you want your support on speed dial.

Now into his seventh year of roasting, it's safe to say that growth has been good. Colonna Coffee continues to expand as people and businesses find specialty coffee, learn to understand it and then move to a better and more socially responsible coffee with them.

The challenge of getting off the ground

There are so many things to consider when first starting a roastery that it can be overwhelming. Not only are you setting up a business, finding a site, hiring, dealing with HR, the accountant and so much more, but you need to set up a quality but cost-effective roasting facility. Even for someone as experienced as Maxwell, there were a thousand questions he needed support with.

How do I install a roaster? What do I need? What are my ducting options? What are the rules re emissions? How much space do I need for green? How much for the roaster and then packaging and shipping? What extras do I need and more importantly don’t I need? These were all questions he asked and wanted support with. Maxwell was quick to pick up how he wanted to run his roastery. He was more focused on the installation, ducting solutions, parts & engineering cover to ensure it ran smoothly and he could focus on sourcing great green and roasting them perfectly.

The challenge for Colonna Coffee was to balance the cost of the kit. The more you pay, the better and more reliable the kit, and the better the support. Maxwell believed in high-calibre solutions, so he needed to decide which roaster gave him what he wanted: quality, flexibility and consistency. We’re proud to say that he chose to use Diedrich Roasters to be his roaster partner.

How Rubiaceae Consulting and Diedrich helped

It was apparent as early as mid-2017 that Colonna Coffee was growing well and they needed that bigger 35kg roaster. Jamie helped design the system for Colonna Coffee's new roasting space in Yate, just north of Bristol. This really gave Colonna Coffee confidence in expansion and planning in an important transition phase from a smaller unit on the outskirts of Bath. Jamie was on site to ensure that the new roaster would be delivered and up and running.

Today

We are proud to have helped Maxwell and Colonna Coffee from the beginning. Whenever there have been issues, they’ve been dealt with quickly and effectively. Colonna Coffee’s relationship with Jamie/Rubiaceae Consulting has also expanded with the supply of a new bean colour sorter and a pneumatic loader. We hope to be able to support Maxwell's business in the future as Colonna continues to grow and he looks for further support and ancillary equipment.

If you’re looking to start or expand a roastery, please get in touch and we’ll help and support you every step of the way.