Lonton Coffee Co. is a specialty roastery at Limekilns Farm in Lonton, near Barnard Castle in Teesdale, County Durham. The farm setting is part of a rural business development project part-funded by the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development, which supported new premises, machinery and employment.
The team is small, with Scott as owner, Paul as head roaster, Sam covering hospitality and trade support, and Sarah on design. All coffee is roasted on a Diedrich IR-12, a 12kg infrared drum that uses conductive, convective and radiant heat for batch consistency.
The single-origin range covers Rwanda, Peru, Kenya, Honduras, Ethiopia, Colombia, El Salvador and Sumatra, with named producers and cooperatives such as Bernard Uwitije, Gonzalo Chocan at El Frutal, the Kahuhia Farmers Cooperative Society, Carlos Alfredo Estevez at El Supte, Alexander Sancho via Asorcafe and Finca Bosque Lya. Lonton describes its coffee as sustainably and ethically sourced from farms and estates committed to sustainability and good labour practices.
The decaffeinated blend is processed using sparkling water. A mobile coffee unit fitted out in a Citroen Dyane handles events, and accommodation is available on site.
