Girls Who Grind - Specialty Coffee Roaster in Upton Scudamore

Girls Who Grind Coffee is an independent, female-founded roastery in Wiltshire, in the South West of England, where all of its coffee is roasted. Casey LaLonde founded it in 2017. She grew up in Upstate New York, studied sociology and started her career in a cupping lab, learning to roast, cup and assist on Q Grader courses, before moving to the UK in 2009.

Every coffee it buys comes from a woman producer, and every bag names her. It buys through small-scale importers, producer-roaster platforms and directly from producers, and tries to buy as much as it can from each producer rather than picking only the top lots year after year. It treats the women it buys from as business partners and, where it can, helps female producers reach the specialty market through introductions to importers. Its producers include the ASMUCAFE women’s association in Cauca, Colombia, Mió in Brazil, Café Femenino in Peru, La Tribu Grupo Mujeres in Chiapas, Mexico, Wubit Bekele in Ethiopia and Nafeesa Esmail in Uganda, whose specialty Robusta is sold on its own and in the Rise & Grind blend.

Roasting is done in small batches on a Giesen W6 named Aunt Edie, with software that tracks every roast. The aim is coffee that is easy to enjoy, without very light roasts or dark, oily beans; Oh My Goth, its first darker roast, was added at customers’ request. The range runs from the house espresso Girl Crush and the filter blend Back To The Filter to single producers, a half-caff blend and a Mountain Water decaf. Girls Who Grind supplies cafés, offices, retailers, farm shops and independent businesses across the UK.