Our long-standing relationship with Extract Coffee Roasters has not only propped up our sustainable sourcing policy but has also continued to provide great tasting beans. For UK Coffee Week this year, we spoke with Josh Small, Extract’s head of marketing and Harrison Laird, their regional manager for London and the south-east, to explore their story in more detail.

At its heart, Extract is anchored by an unwavering ethos of care than runs deep through the organisation. “We have a culture of caring at every level, from team dynamics [here in the UK] to relationships with our farmers and growers” says Josh. Central to this ethos is a single phrase, “everything matters”, which Josh tells us is taken to a granular level. It is this attention to detail that sets the team apart from the rest of the coffee market.

One of the unique elements to Extract’s coffee is its roasting process. Their Bristol-based roastery centres around a collection of vintage coffee roasters, all lovingly restored or rebuilt from parts. While this may sound like a great sustainability story, the deliberate choice to use old (as early as 1955) rather than new machinery is the effect of the machine’s profile on the flavour. “There is an inherent character from used materials that have embedded flavours”, explains Harrison, something not found with new stainless steel roasters. This, in part, is responsible for maintaining the taste of Extract’s coffee despite changes in climate that are impacting coffee farms.

The farms are another jewel in the Extract crown. For the last decade they have been working with Delmy Regalado, a pioneering owner of an organic coffee farm in Honduras. Delmy, a former president of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance, has been at the forefront of promoting women-led coffee, an industry with a very small percentage of female leadership. “What she has done to champion, train and protect women at farm level has been hugely innovative”, says Harrison, who adds that the two-way conversation between Delmy and Extract has allowed them to evolve the coffee and their facilities to further curate the recognised flavour.

Back at base, the team are focused on the next stages of their brand evolution. “The desire is to be everyone’s favourite coffee wholesaler”, says Harrison, “and that comes from sourcing great coffee that we can put care into at every stage from farm to customer”. A key part of this mission is building the narrative to appeal to customers looking for different things. “It’s a fine balance between story and product”, explains Josh. “It’s about presenting a product that we are passionate about and a story that we are proud of and having them work together”. Both tell us that it’s important to celebrate “what’s in the bag” (a great coffee with chocolately notes, caramel sweetness and toffee apple finish) and enjoy describing its journey.

Extract’s culture of care is now being formalised into a new sustainability strategy based on their core pillars: communities, growers and planet. One goal is to achieve a wider appreciation of their 16 years of work, both in the coffee growing communities and here in the UK – using their expertise in training and hospitality, the team provide barista training workshops for those affected by homelessness and also support the redistribution of meals to those in most need. Ultimately the plan is to tell better stories to drive improved awareness, leading a movement in the coffee industry that others will want to follow. As Josh summarises “at the end of the day we’re trying to make coffee better for everyone involved”, and it is clear that they have the authenticity to do just that.