Coffee roasters in Glasgow

Glasgow has 7 independent coffee roasters and an unusually deep heritage track record: two of them predate 1900, including Scotland's oldest coffee roaster (Thomsons, 1841) and one of the UK's longer running commercial operations (Matthew Algie, 1864). The modern specialty side has grown rapidly around them, with a B Corp roastery in the East End, a social enterprise running rehabilitation programmes, and a cafe-led roastery in Kinning Park all founded since 2011.

Thomsons Coffee was founded in Edinburgh in 1841 by David Thomson before relocating to Glasgow's St Vincent Street, making it Scotland's oldest coffee roaster; in its early decades the company manufactured the Naperian vacuum coffee pot, an early syphon brewer that shipped worldwide. Matthew Algie was founded in Glasgow in 1864 and has grown into one of the UK and Ireland's larger commercial coffee roasters, with a track record of UK firsts in coffee sustainability including Fairtrade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance certifications. Dear Green Coffee Roasters was founded in Glasgow in 2011 by Lisa Lawson, starting as a one person operation and growing into a B Corp certified business with a roastery, showroom and SCA accredited training space in the East End; the name comes from "Dear Green Place," the Scots Gaelic meaning of Glasgow.

Glasgow's roastery scene is concentrated in the city centre and the East End, with Kinning Park (The Good Coffee Cartel) on the Southside extending the radius. Several of the roasters welcome visitors to their roastery or training spaces. Glasgow's roasters tend to be welcoming and unpretentious, reflecting the city's character.