Fábrica Coffee Roasters started in 2015 as an independent, family-run business that wanted Portugal to discover specialty coffee. It buys through direct-trade partnerships with farmers and roasts each coffee for its purpose: a light roast for filter, slightly darker for espresso.

The roasting takes place in Terrugem, in the municipality of Sintra, where the Roastery & Cafeteria also serves as a café. In Lisbon there are four cafés: Fábrica Avenida by Restauradores, under a black awning that reads “Best beans. Great coffee.”, Fábrica Comércio in the Baixa, Fábrica Santos, and Fábrica S. Mamede near the Sé. Cascais has a Fábrica café and a counter in the Mercado de Cascais.

A handful of house coffees stay on the list all year, among them the Espresso Blend of 70% Brazil and 30% Ethiopia. Seasonal lots come from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru and Ethiopia, and several are roasted twice and sold under two names, one for espresso and one for filter, as with Pueblo and Negrisa from the Negrisa family in Peru’s Chanchamayo valley. Part of the range is certified organic.

Fábrica also runs a coffee subscription, writes brewing guides for the V60, AeroPress, French press, moka pot and cold brew, and sells espresso machines and grinders, from the La Marzocco Linea Micra to the Mahlkönig EK43.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Fábrica Coffee Roasters