City guide

Specialty coffee in Manchester

Greater Manchester has seven independent coffee roasters in this directory, a newer scene than most, nothing here predates 2012, built up by Heart & Graft and Ancoats Coffee.

The names that built it

Two roasters arrived early enough to shape everything that followed.

Heart & Graft Coffee Roastery

Founded in 2012, Heart & Graft is the oldest roastery in this directory and one of the first in Greater Manchester to take specialty coffee seriously. They focus on single-origin lots and offer subscriptions and decaf alongside their core range. If you want to understand where Manchester's roasting culture came from, this is where to look.

Ancoats Coffee Co.

Ancoats followed in 2013 and has become one of the most recognisable names in the city. They are certified organic, which sets them apart from most UK roasters, and they run a cafe as well as selling subscriptions online. The combination of a physical presence and a clear values position has given them a following well beyond Manchester.

The rest of the scene

Five more roasters have joined since 2016, filling out a scene that, while compact, covers most of what specialty coffee drinkers look for.

Greater Manchester has seven roasters in this directory, and none of them predates 2012. It is one of the youngest city scenes in the country. Most UK cities with a comparable population had roasters by the mid-2000s at the latest.

Salford Roasters

Launched in 2016, Salford Roasters operates a cafe and offers subscriptions, with decaf in the range. The Salford side of the conurbation has its own identity and Salford Roasters sits firmly within it.

Swan Song Coffee

Swan Song arrived in 2018 with a focus on single-origin coffees, subscriptions, and decaf. They are one of the more recently established roasters in the directory with a clear specialty position.

Blossom Coffee Roasters

Blossom launched in 2020, making them the newest dated entry in the Manchester list. They offer subscriptions and decaf, and represent the most recent wave of roasters to set up in the city.

Django Coffee Co.

Django offer single-origin coffees, subscriptions, and decaf. No founding year is listed in this directory, but they are an established part of the Manchester roasting scene.

ManCoCo

ManCoCo stocks single-origin coffees and operates a cafe, making them one of three Manchester roasters with a physical space where you can drink as well as buy. No founding year is given in this directory.

Where to start

If you are new to the Manchester scene and want a starting point, the two roasters with the longest track records are Heart & Graft and Ancoats Coffee Co. Between them they cover single-origin lots, subscriptions, organic certification, and a cafe to visit in person.

For a cafe visit you have three options: Ancoats Coffee Co., Salford Roasters, and ManCoCo all have a physical space alongside their roasting operation.

If decaf is a priority, Heart & Graft, Salford Roasters, Swan Song Coffee, Blossom Coffee Roasters, and Django Coffee Co. all carry it. And if organic matters to you, Ancoats Coffee Co. is currently the only certified organic roaster in the Greater Manchester directory.

The full list is at All Greater Manchester roasters.

Common questions

Who are the best-known Manchester coffee roasters?

Heart & Graft Coffee Roastery and Ancoats Coffee Co. are the names most associated with building Manchester’s specialty coffee scene. Both have been roasting since the early 2010s and are widely stocked across the city and online.

When did Manchester’s specialty coffee scene start?

The oldest roasters in this directory date to 2012. Heart & Graft launched that year, followed by Ancoats Coffee Co. in 2013. It is one of the younger city scenes in the country compared to London, Bristol, or Edinburgh.

Which Manchester roasters offer subscriptions?

Most do. Heart & Graft, Ancoats Coffee Co., Salford Roasters, Swan Song Coffee, Blossom Coffee Roasters, and Django Coffee Co. all offer subscription options.

Which Manchester roasters have a cafe?

Ancoats Coffee Co., Salford Roasters, and ManCoCo all have a cafe alongside their roasting operation. The others are roastery-focused and sell primarily online.

Which Manchester roasters stock decaf?

Heart & Graft, Salford Roasters, Swan Song Coffee, Blossom Coffee Roasters, and Django Coffee Co. all offer decaf options.