About us

Devon Coffee Roasters Since 2010

Here at Owens we've been roasting 100% certified Organic and Fairtrade coffee since 2010 in he heart of Devon.

In fact, we were the first dedicated Organic coffee roaster in the South West and are still independently owned and run by Lorraine (pictured below) & Tim Bridden.

Before becoming absorbed into the world of coffee beans, Lorraine had a background in science, and spent several years working in the bio-tech industry.

There actually a lot of science behind great-tasting coffee, so when the opportunity to take over Owens Coffee in 2010, Lorraine jumped at the chance!

Lorraine’s scientific background, love of fresh coffee and knowledge of the hospitality industry proved to be an ideal background for growing a coffee roastery business.

Lorraine embarked on her coffee journey, gaining wide knowledge and expertise about the coffee-roasting process, visiting markets to meet customers in person, listening to their feedback on the coffee itself, adjusting, cupping and fine-tuning along the way until each of her coffees were perfected.

The vision right from the start was to always roast coffee fresh to order so everyone could enjoy the coffee at peak flavour using the finest, most delicious responsibly sourced beans.

Our close relationship with global importers operates under the highest ethical and business standards helping us to achieve our goal to treat everyone in the supply chain – including the planet  - with respect.

100% Organic & Fairtrade since the start

Sustainability has been at the heart of the business from day one. That includes looking after the people and communities involved in the production of our coffee, as well as the environment.

It all starts with the bean; Owens Coffee beans are Arabica beans and are generally shade-grown at higher altitudes. The beans are organically grown; naturally with no chemicals and more slowly, which contributes to a fuller flavour profile. Our farmers are Fairtrade, which means they are paid a fair price and have the assurance of good working conditions..

Our range is 100% organic coffee, certified by the Soil Association. To comply with the Soil Association’s organic standards, we must have full traceability from farmer to importer, and throughout the roasting process. Our procedures and quality control applied to blend, freshness and flavour, all benefit from the organic standards we have in place.

Sustainable Coffee Roasters

Owens’ organic status is not our sole focus on sustainability. The company has:

• Always used compostable vegware materials for our takeaway cups
• Strived to provide the most sustainable packaging solution available to us
• A no-waste policy (for example, our hessian sacks have been used by Dartmoor Zoo for the big cats to play with and our coffee grounds are used by organic gardeners)
• Invested in a high-tech, smoke free Loring Coffee Roaster. The machine is incredibly sustainable (arguably the most energy efficient model on the planet) using 80% less energy than other roasters because there is no afterburner used to complete the roasting process. It is cleaner for the operators, and the environment PLUS, with fewer emissions throughout the roasting process, it locks in the flavour of the beans, producing superb tasting coffees.

Award-winning Devon Coffee roasters and a dedicated Organic coffee roaster in the South West

Today, the Owens team can proudly claim to be the first dedicated organic coffee roaster in Devon. Our family business has become a small core team of friendly, coffee-obsessed experts who care as much about how our coffee tastes as our customers do. So much so, we regularly win awards; locally, nationally and internationally.

Our coffees have won Great Taste Awards, Taste of the West Awards, and our bestseller ‘Gara’ has been awarded best organic coffee in the UK by the Soil Association.

Owens offers a 100% organic coffee range of 5 popular house blends (which includes a Swiss Water® decaffeinated Decaf blend), single origin coffees and regular seasonal blends.

Visit the Roastery

Since 2010, Owens has stayed local to Devon, but we’ve moved premises to a purpose-built, state of the art Roastery. The new building houses our Loring roaster, a shop specialising in Owens coffee products and hand-selected coffee makers, machines and accessories. It also provides a contemporary space to welcome visitors and offer tours, demonstrations, barista training, coffee experiences and cupping sessions.  

We encourage our customers (including trade customers) to come and visit, so that they can really connect with the team and what we do.

“We’re not just producing coffee, it’s a service.” says Lorraine, “Long term relationships are key for us and we want people to buy into us. We’re not interested in selling our coffee for the sake of it. It’s about making sure the right customer is brought into our ‘family’, as we call it.”

Enquiries

If you are a retail business or foodservice provider looking to work with a wholesale coffee supplier, please visit our Trade Enquiries.
For all other enquiries, please contact us.