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Aberfeldy · United Kingdom

Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters

Since 2011 · Jamie Grant, Fiona Grant

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Overview

Glen Lyon was founded in 2011 by Jamie Grant and Fiona Grant, journalists who had met in South America and returned to Scotland after Jamie took a job with WWF Scotland in Aberfeldy. Fiona had become fascinated with coffee on a Bolivian assignment about a green buyer and started the roastery on a £5k budget after a London School of Coffee three-day course and a used Turkish Garanti 5kg from eBay. The operation moved to its Aberfeldy Business Park premises in 2014 and now runs a 12kg Probat alongside a 25kg Probat. In 2022 it became the first specialty roaster in Scotland to import green coffee by sailboat.

Known for

  • Founded 2011 by Jamie and Fiona Grant — journalists turned roasters
  • B Corp certified
  • First specialty roaster in Scotland to import green coffee by sailboat (2022)
  • Operates a 12kg Probat and 25kg Probat at the Aberfeldy roastery
  • Founded Project Northern Lights — barista mentorship for Highland school leavers

Why it matters

Glen Lyon is the proof that a serious specialty roastery can thrive in a town of 2,000 people in the Scottish Highlands rather than in a major city — and that doing so can be a genuine community asset rather than a vanity project. The sailboat-imported coffee, the solar panels on the roastery, the Northern Lights mentorship program for local school leavers, and the every-two-years Scottish Roasters Retreat in the Cairngorms add up to one of the more thoughtful operating models in UK specialty.

Production

destoning
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head roaster
Fiona Grant
color sorting
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roaster machine
12kg Probat and 25kg Probat
filter equipment
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cupping frequency
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roastery location
Aberfeldy Business Park, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
espresso equipment
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annual volume tonnes
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Café

Aberfeldy Business Park, Aberfeldy PH15 2AQ

Recognitions

  • B Corp certified

Sources

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