Drop Hopper Coffee Roasters, Belfast

Drop Hopper grew out of Javaman Coffee, which Philip Gallagher founded in 1998 with a small cart in a city-centre arcade, inspired by the coffee culture of cities like Seattle. In 2001, with family support, he added a mobile coffee van imported from Italy and opened a shop at St George’s Market, where Javaman began micro-roasting beans daily. The stall won Best Stall at St George’s Market in 2013. In 2018 Philip founded Drop Hopper Coffee Roasters and bought a roasting machine for small-batch coffee, and retail beans followed in 2019.

Drop Hopper roasts all its coffee in-house and works directly with importers to buy green coffee. It supplies cafés, restaurants, offices and hospitality groups with wholesale coffee, brewing support and advice. Through the Covid-19 pandemic it stayed open for takeaway, and in 2024 Philip travelled to coffee-producing countries and farms to see where the beans come from.

Both counters are at St George’s Market. The coffee bar and store has seating and a retail shelf of beans and brewing gear, and the original market cart is still trading. The signature house coffees are sold only in store, and the single origins change through the year.

The current retail range is listed below with the roaster’s own tasting notes.