Behind every cup of coffee is a story…

West Coast Coffee prides itself on its coffee and great service – we serve a unique blend of the finest arabica coffee beans, specially selected and roasted by hand in small batches to allow the full flavour of real coffee come through the milk in cappuccinos and lattes.

We strongly believe that coffee is a people commodity and a people business. It starts with the people who work on small plantations to grow the bean, to our roasters who roast the coffee - all the way through to the staff who work behind our counters to make great coffee for the people who come into our shops. The one connecting link throughout this chain is people. The photos used in our current shop posters show the actual farmers who grow the beans used in our range of coffee drinks.

The coffee we serve in our stores, is ethically sourced. This means that neither the people involved nor the environment are exploited. Our roasters have a policy of sourcing the highest quality arabica coffee, as directly as possible from the plantations. Our roasters work closely with the coffee farmers and help them understand that a smaller amount of higher quality beans will earn them more than a large volume of average quality beans. In exchange for producing premium coffee beans, farmers benefit from long term contracts at prices well above market rates. This supports development and an improvement in living standards in local communities.

West Coast Coffee is willing to pay premium prices for top quality coffee beans. As some of the unnecessary middlemen are no longer in the pricing chain, our coffee is still competitively priced for consumers, but is miles ahead in quality.

The West Coast Family of Brews:

Brazilian Fazenda Lambari . Brazil remains the world's largest producer of coffee. The range and diversity of coffees within the country is astounding. Our Brazilian beans come from the Rebetez's family plantation called Fazenda Lambari. They are finalists in coffee excellence awards year after year, and use no pesticides at any stage.

The Fazenda Lambari brew is incredibly sweet and well rounded with tones of cocoa and almonds. It's a flavoursome yet gentle wake-up call that is delicious through the day. Sweeter coffees such as this are a great mix with pastries

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Ethiopia is one of the original regions of coffee production dating back hundreds of years. Our coffee comes from the southern part of Ethiopia mainly on family small holdings. The West Coast premiums have helped the community remain on the family farms and earn a better living for their families.

The Yirgachefe is a medium to full bodied coffee with a delicious balance of floral and subtle spice tones. The aroma is fabulous and it's a great kick start to the morning! It's a bold, heavier coffee that holds up well to even spicy foods.

Colombian Timana . As a country, Colombia has long promoted and marketed it's status as a coffee producing nation. The popular demand for Colombian led to a deterioration of quality in past years, BUT good, small producer cooperatives are emerging and we have one of the best. Our Colombian comes from the Co-operative Café Timanà, and it is Fairtrade.

The Café Timana is an extremely well balanced coffee and an easy introduction for someone trying good filter coffee for the first time. It's easily drinkable all day. The smoothness can be translated with milky chocolate notes with just a hint of zestiness to keep it interesting.

Guatemalan Finca Santa Ana – La Huerta. The lush climate and altitude of Guatemala creates some of the most richly complex coffees in the world. The premium coffee prices we pay have helped purchase a new bean washing channel in the Santa Ana plantation.

The Finca Santa Ana brew has deep berry and red fruit tones, combined with delicate sweetness and citrus. It could be described as sweet harmony with a bite. While not a bold as the Ethiopian, there is still a good pick-me-up characteristic to the Guatemalan Finca Santa Ana.

Rwandan Café Maraba Bourbon . This brew is the newest addition to our family of brews and has a special place in our heart. The Abahuzamugambi (translates as ‘people working together for a common cause') Co-operative is primarily run by widows and orphans of the genocide. Through a combination of the premiums we pay, plus great work from our Roasters and international aid agencies, the exceptional coffee from this co-operative of smallholder farms is helping create a brighter future for this group of farmers.

The coffee is described as having bright zesty notes of lemon and orange, together with a wonderful, light milk chocolate finish that makes is a perfect, easy drinking coffee throughout the day.