Coffee roasters in County Down

County Down has 5 independent coffee roasters serving the area south and east of Belfast, with operations in Bangor (Cargo), Crossgar (Drop Hopper roastery), the Newry border (Koffy), and Banbridge (Ristretto). The county sits at the centre of Northern Ireland's growing specialty scene: one of its roasters dates back to 2006 (older than most of the Belfast scene), and another was the first Irish company to use fully compostable packaging across its range.

Bro Coffee has been roasting since 2016 and was the first Irish company to use fully compostable packaging across its range; multiple coffees have picked up double and triple awards. Ristretto Coffee was founded in 2006 and is based at Banbridge Enterprise Centre, running a 60kg Giesen and focusing on single origin specialty sourced directly from producers across Central America, South America and East Africa. Drop Hopper Coffee traces its origins to a Belfast coffee cart in Donegal Arcade in 1998, opened a shop near St George's Market a decade later, and added a dedicated roastery in Crossgar, Co Down in 2018, where they roast for both retail and wholesale customers.

County Down's roasters are well placed for a coastal route from Belfast through Bangor and on toward the Newry border. Combining a roastery visit with the county's coast and countryside makes for a good day out.