James Fisher founded Clifton Coffee in Bristol in 2001 to service espresso machines for the city’s independent businesses. Ed Buston, Emma Russe and Miles Lenthall joined him as it moved into wholesale coffee, and it began offering barista training to its customers, which was unusual at the time. Several Bristol multi-site businesses that signed up as it grew are still customers today. In 2013 Clifton opened its own production roastery, and in 2023 it became a certified B Corp.

The Bristol headquarters holds the roastery, a training room, showrooms, a cupping room and an engineering bay, and the team still maintains its customers’ machines. Clifton launched its first direct-trade programme, The E1 Project, in 2015 with Ricardo Lima and his family in El Salvador, and today 90% of the coffee it buys comes directly from origin through its own relationships. Suspension Espresso is named after Bristol’s bridge and comes from Fazenda Pinhal in Brazil, and Village Espresso, part of Clifton since roasting began, is now Village Organic, a single origin from COMUCAP, a cooperative of women farmers in Honduras. Blend Friends brings in other roasters to blend a limited coffee together, most recently OddKin from Bristol.

Its engineer Dave won the UK Brewers Cup, co-owner Eddie twice came second at the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, and its SCA trainers have placed at the UK Barista and Latte Art Championships. E1 Project Espresso holds a Great Taste award.

Partner cafés

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Clifton Coffee Roasters