Extract Coffee Roasters

This article contains PR samples

Here at Little Green Space we drink a lot of coffee. So we were delighted to be introduced to the Extract Coffee Roasters range of ethical, speciality coffees.

Founded in Bristol in 2007, the company has grown from humble beginnings: the business was started in a shed, with coffee served from a portable coffee cart. Now Extract has branches in Bristol, London and Manchester, and supplies freshly roasted coffee beans and ground coffee to businesses, cafes and individuals across the UK.

The company's strapline is 'Make coffee better' and Extract does just that: the whole production process from bean to cup is better for farmers, communities, and the environment.

Transparent, ethical sourcing

Extract's sustainably grown Arabica coffee is mostly sourced from South and Central America, East Africa, and Asia.

The growers are either smallholders working as part of a cooperative, or larger farms – all producing high-quality coffee with good working conditions for farmworkers. Extract pays a quality-based premium for its coffee, meaning the price paid often exceeds the premiums farmers would earn if part of a Fairtrade scheme.  

Extract works directly with female growers, as well as choosing importers who are funding grassroots female-empowerment programmes in coffee-producing countries. This helps to counteract the gender inequality that often impacts women who work in the coffee supply chain.

Extract's transparency regarding its supply chain means you can find out where each product was sourced, with lots of information about the growers and the farms available on the company's website.

Helping to protect the environment

Extract coffee chooses farms where positive steps are being taken to minimise impact on the environment. This includes using sustainable growing methods, recycling water, and using natural alternatives to pesticides and fertilisers. The growers also help to boost biodiversity on their farms – for example, by maintaining areas of natural forest, and growing shade-grown coffee alongside other plants.

In the UK, sustainable practices are also key. Coffee is roasted in vintage, hand-restored roasters – lovingly named Betty, Bertha and James – that have been rescued from the scrap heap and modernised to make them efficient and environmentally friendly. Other equipment and features in the roastery, such as tables and doorhandles, have also been created using reclaimed and upcycled materials.

To keep carbon emissions low, coffee beans are imported by sea, not air, and the energy source for the roastery is carbon neutral.

Leftover coffee chaff – a waste product from the coffee roasting process – is used as chicken bedding, and then reused as compost, by a local organic farm. And spent coffee grounds are converted into biodiesel to power vehicles owned by Bristol-based sustainable waste-management firm, GENeco.

Support for local communities

Since 2007, Extract has donated more than £27,000 to charity, and supported people in need through volunteering and mentorship. This includes offering barista training to people impacted by homelessness or disability; donating to local schemes that distribute food to disadvantaged families; and providing mental health support for people working in the hospitality industry.

Each bag of Extract Coffee Roasters coffee sold helps support the company's charitable work.

Coffee heroes

There are lots of different coffees to choose from. Each variety is available as whole beans, or ground to use with filters, expresso machines, or cafetières. You can buy a coffee subscription or make a one-off purchase – there's free delivery with every order – and each variety is available in 250g or money-saving 1kg sizes

We tried three different varieties, and all were delicious both with and without milk.

We particularly enjoyed Organic Certified Espresso, a rich coffee with hints of dark chocolate, fruit loaf and caramel. The sweet caramel and chocolatey flavours are a result of a longer roasting time that causes the natural sugars in the coffee beans to caramelise. This espresso is sourced from an organic cooperative of growers in Peru, and female-led Liquidambar – an organic coffee farm in Honduras.

Organic Certified Espresso is one of Extract's 'Hero' coffees. Available all year, these crafted coffees have been perfected over many years to provide a quality range of blended and single-origin varieties, all ethically sourced.

Also look out for Extract's Super-Hero range. These limited-edition seasonal blends are produced in small batches and include Betty – a springtime espresso made from coffee that's grown exclusively by women and roasted on Betty, Extract's 1955 cast-iron coffee roaster – and Funka, which is available in summer. These seasonal special editions are well worth looking out for – but be aware that they're very popular, and sell out quickly!

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