On the corner since 2016

A café first, a roastery second, and stubborn about both

We took over a shop that had sold newspapers for forty years, kept the counter and put a roaster where the magazines used to be. The plan was simple: roast small, sell it fresh, and bake enough that people have a reason to come in before work. Nine years later the same regulars queue at half seven, the roaster still runs on Tuesdays, and we still write the filter list on the mirror in chalk because the printer is always broken.

  • Green coffee bought from three importers who publish what the farmer was paid
  • Everything baked here, including the bread for the sandwiches
  • Tap water, real cups and no charge for oat milk
A café first, a roastery second, and stubborn about both

What else we do

Four things beyond the counter, all run by the same small team.

  • 01

    Coffee subscriptions

    Two hundred and fifty grams or a kilo, posted or collected, roasted the day before it reaches you. Skip or pause any week.

  • 02

    Wholesale for cafés and offices

    Beans, a grinder on loan, and two days of training for your team. We visit monthly and dial in the espresso ourselves.

  • 03

    Brewing classes

    Ninety minutes on a Saturday: grind size, water, ratio and the four mistakes that make home coffee bitter. Six people, coffee included.

  • 04

    Catering and cake orders

    Flasks of filter, sandwich platters and whole cakes for anything from a school meeting to a wake. Two days' notice is plenty.

Meet the team

The people behind the work.

Iris Kowalski

Iris Kowalski

Owner and roaster

Ran the espresso bar for two years before learning to roast. Still tastes every batch on Tuesday morning before it goes on the shelf.

Danny Osei

Danny Osei

Head barista

Knows around three hundred regular orders by heart and will remember yours by the third visit, whether you want him to or not.

Mei Lin Chow

Mei Lin Chow

Baker

Starts at half four with the sourdough and finishes the cardamom buns by seven. Her savoury pastry changes with the market.

Our journey

2016

A newsagent becomes a café

We kept the tiled counter and the bell over the door, and served coffee from a second-hand two-group machine for the first eighteen months.

2018

The roaster arrives

Five kilos, gas-fired, installed on a Sunday. The first three weeks of roasting were quietly terrible and we gave most of it away.

2021

The bakery

We knocked through into the back room and started baking at half four. Bread changed the morning trade more than any coffee ever did.

2024

Fifty wholesale accounts

We now roast for offices, two hotels and a bike shop that pours better filter than most cafés. Everything is still roasted on the same drum.

5 kgRoasted per batch
4:30When the ovens go on
2New filter coffees each week
9 yearsOn this corner