A roastery that never grew out of its loft.
“We could roast twice as much if we bought a bigger machine. We just never wanted the coffee to taste like it.”
— Marcus Feely, founder & head roaster
Driftwood Roasters started in the back half of a chandlery on Harbour Lane, where the old timber floors still smell faintly of varnish. Marcus had spent nine years pulling shots for other people's cafes and finally saved enough to buy a battered 12-kilo drum roaster off a bakery that was closing down the coast. The first bags went to friends, then to the two restaurants on the corner, and by the second winter there was a line out the door on Saturday mornings.
We have stayed small on purpose. Everything is roasted here, by hand, in batches you could carry in one arm. Marcus and Priya cup every green coffee before it goes on the schedule, and if a lot does not taste the way the sample did, it does not get roasted. It is a slower way to run a coffee business, and it means we sell out of the good ones. We think that is the right trade.
The cafe up front is where most people meet us first: a marble counter, a couple of worn benches by the window, and whatever we are excited about that week chalked on the board. Bring a keep-cup and stay a while. The dog is welcome on the bench outside.
