Glasgow’s Dear Green Coffee Roasters has been recognised as the world’s best at a top industry awards.
Leading industry trade publication Roast Magazine has named the coffee company, founded by Lisa Lawson in 2011, as Micro Roaster of the Year.
The annual award recognises commitment to superior coffee quality, sustainability, and community engagement, and, of course, its excellence in roasting.
Dear Green, one of Scotland’s first specialty coffee roasters, beat competitors from around the world to secure the top spot among roasters producing fewer than 100,000 pounds of coffee annually. It’s the first European roastery to win the award.
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The firm, which in 2020 became Scotland’s first B Corp-certified coffee roaster, produced 98,326 pounds of coffee last year with a team of just 10, including a full-time sustainability coordinator.
Despite its small-scale production, Dear Green, a Living Wage employer, continues to make a broad-reaching impact beyond the freshly roasted beans it supplies to cafes, restaurants, workplaces, and homes. All from its roastery across the road from the Barras.
This month, the Scottish coffee roaster passed B Corp’s rigorous recertification process with flying colours and pledged to become Net Zero by 2030.
Lisa Lawson, who began working in the industry while living in Australia before moving back home to Scotland, said: “If you told me when I was scrimping and saving to buy our first roaster in 2011 that one day we’d get this award, I wouldn’t have believed you.
“I’m blown away. This is an incredible honour for our team – it speaks to the passion and commitment we put into everything we do. We are proud to represent Scotland on a global stage. When we first started, the specialty coffee scene in Scotland was limited. This award is a reflection of how much the industry here has grown and matured.”
“This shows a small-scale operation can have a big impact on the world, both in terms of our coffee and by the example we set as an ethical coffee roaster.
“This definitely raises our profile, and with that, it puts us in an even better position to foster education and transparency within the coffee industry, from sourcing practices to roasting techniques, ensuring the growing number of specialty coffee lovers out there understand the journey from bean to cup.”
Dear Green’s victory at the 21st Roaster of the Year Awards puts it in the company of some of the world’s most renowned coffee brands, including beating top competitors like Three Keys Coffee in Houston, Texas, and Thread Coffee Roasters in Baltimore. Wonderstate Coffee, founded in 2005 in Viroqua, Wisconsin, was named Macro Roaster of the Year.
Anna Plain, Dear Green’s head roaster, added: “It’s humbling to be not only recognised among such incredible roasteries, but to come out on top. This is one of the biggest awards in coffee and the whole team is absolutely buzzing.
“Congratulations have been pouring in from around the world – it has been so nice to be recognised by others in our industry.”
To find out more about the new Micro Roaster of the Year, visit www.deargreencoffee.com.
