Foundry Coffee Roasters

Overview

Foundry was founded in 2012 in Sheffield by Lee, who is widely credited as Sheffield's first specialty coffee roaster. The company was deliberately filter-focused before most UK roasters, sells primarily direct-to-consumer, and added partner Callum to expand into espresso. The roastery and cafe consolidated at the Cutlery Works food hall in Neepsend in November 2019.

Known for

• First specialty roaster in Sheffield
• Direct-to-consumer home-barista focus
• Carbon Neutral since 2020
• Single-origin program over blends
• 'Comfort' and 'Adventure' menu structure

Why it matters

Sheffield's foundational specialty roaster, with a counter-cultural model that prioritised home-baristas over wholesale chasing — a rare strategic posture in early UK third-wave that proved durable.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

Lee

color sorting

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roaster machine

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filter equipment

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cupping frequency

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roastery location

Cutlery Works, 79-101 Neepsend Lane, Sheffield (since November 2019)

espresso equipment

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annual volume tonnes

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Café

Cutlery Works, 79-101 Neepsend Lane, Sheffield S3 8AT

Recognitions

• Best Artisanal Coffee Shop in Sheffield (Re:amaze case study)

Sources

• https://foundrycoffeeroasters.com/pages/us
• https://www.brian-coffee-spot.com/2015/07/18/foundry-coffee-roasters/
• https://www.brian-coffee-spot.com/2018/02/20/foundry-coffee/
• https://dogandhat.co.uk/collections/foundry-coffee-roasters
• https://sheffield.ac.uk/careers/employers/case-studies/foundry-coffee-roasters
• https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07994964/officers