“The Bag Broker have been a fantastic partner to Small Batch Coffee Roasters since the beginning of our partnership (almost 10 years ago) – providing a range of sustainable options that have supported our mission to offer 100% recyclable packaging to our wholesale and online customers. Their team has expert knowledge, responds quickly and have been supportive as we grow. I’d have no hesitation recommending them to any other coffee roaster.”

• What is your experience in the coffee sector? I started working in the coffee industry 17 years ago and have worked for both one of the largest international and UK coffee roasters in Marketing roles supporting hospitality, retail and workplace sectors. In January 2023, I joined Small Batch Coffee Roasters to embrace the growing specialty coffee community with a dream to make it more accessible to coffee lovers.
• Why did you decide to work with The Bag Broker? Before I joined Small Batch Coffee Roasters, we had a partnership with the Bag Broker but also used a variety of other coffee packaging businesses. The Bag Broker were always leading with exceptional customer support and quick to provide options and ideas to support our growth journey. They felt like an extension to our team – and we like that.

• We love your branding and packaging. Is there anything you can tell us about the Small Batch Coffee Roasters identity? We’re from Brighton and one of the pioneers of Speciality coffee – we love to celebrate the art and craft of great tasting coffee but also the creative, diverse and inclusive spirit of Brighton in everything we do. The style and design of our packaging was created to showcase this with beautiful colour and illustration.
• How important is sustainability to you, and how do Small Batch Coffee Roasters prioritise sustainable practices? Sustainability is at the heart of what we do. We’ve recently completed a carbon assessment of our 2023 business production and output and have put in place a reduction plan to 2030. All suppliers (from green coffee, to our energy use to packaging) are now assessed to ensure we’re making the right sustainable choices. At the time of choosing, we felt the Bag Broker’s range of recyclable packaging was the best option on the market and preferred this to the uncertainty of how compostable packaging is managed (and handled by the end user).
• What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in the coffee industry or looking to improve their packaging and branding? Keep a tight, small range of packaging options (consider the gram size per bag you want to sell) and quadruple check the packaging design before you sign off… I’ve seen many examples of packaging printed with errors (this is the roaster’s responsibility)! 😊
• What do you see as the future of coffee and packaging, and how are Small Batch Coffee Roasters preparing for it? We feel we’ve made our first step to move our range to 100% recyclable (this includes our boxes and tape too). We also believe the next step is to increase the quantity of coffee per bag, which will be key – but this is still evolving and sometimes not practical for our business partners and online customers.
• When it comes to selecting packaging for a coffee brand like Small Batch Coffee Roasters, what factors do you consider most important? Recyclable options, quality control – maintaining freshness, shape and size formats, and finally price. Also, we want to work with suppliers that respond and act quickly, which we get with the Bag Broker team.