A new coffee laboratory and roastery is set to open on the outskirts of Ancoats, Manchester.
Grindsmith, the Manchester-born independent and self-professed coffee-connoisseur, is revolutionising the morning cup of coffee as it embarks on its latest venture – converting an industrial unit into a brand-new Roastery and Laboratory.
The Grindsmith Coffee Roastery has been two-years in the making and after a number of set-backs, including an unfinished unit in Embankment following the collapse of Carillion, a 4,880 sqft space has been has been transformed into the state-of-the-art laboratory.
The expansive space, set across two floors, has been renovated into the new home of Grindsmith’s brand innovation and will be the supplying all three of its stores with home-roasted coffee.
It includes an industry-leading Loring Smart Roaster machine – an odourless, flavour-locking roasting system with lower emissions – and a Tech Lab that will help the company push further boundaries within the industry when it comes to quality and taste. Phase two of the Roastery will also see Grindsmith launch a dedicated Barista training academy and Tech Lab later in the year
The new enterprise comes after Grindsmith opened its first premises in Greater Manchester using loans from GC Business Finance to support internal infrastructure as the company expanded rapidly and grew the brand.
Luke Tomlinson, co-founder of Grindsmith, said: “Opening a roastery has been a burning ambition for the company since we first opened the Pod in 2014 and enough blood sweat and tears went into this launch!
“Coffee is our absolute passion so having a space dedicated to the roasting, tasting and development of our very own product is a fantastic milestone for the business.”
Grindsmith fellow co-founder, Pete Gibson, added: “Science and the quality control over product is becoming increasingly important. Our aim for the lab is that it becomes a centre of excellence and innovation within the industry and helps Manchester push the boundaries of knowledge and research within speciality coffee.
“We have a number of origin trips planned this year to source and ship the world’s best coffee direct to Manchester. Coffee is an amazing industry to be part of and we can’t wait to be alongside the coffee farmers and fully controlling the product from crop to cup.”
