Sweven is an archaic word for a dream or a vision. Jimmy and Aga Dimitrov met in a coffee shop in 2010, spent the next decade working in coffee, and founded Sweven in 2019. It sources and roasts a small collection of rare coffees from producers it has worked with for years, buying from small farmers under fair trade practices, and supplies cafés through a wholesale portal as well as its own shop.

The roast style is light Nordic. Filter roasts are meant to keep a coffee’s character and bright acidity; espresso roasts are refined for solubility and balance. Sweven roasts from Monday to Wednesday and recommends resting its coffees for at least two weeks for filter and three for espresso, and four to six weeks for the more intricate varieties and processes.

The café in Bedminster serves a rotating menu of rare and exclusive lots, including a limited frozen offering, with cakes chosen to go with them. Sweven is also the subject of Angel of the South, the third issue of Dial In, an independent coffee magazine from Manchester that follows the founders from their first meeting to the creation of the company.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Sweven Coffee