Aberfeldy · United Kingdom
Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters
Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters roasts in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.
Since 2011 · Jamie Grant, Fiona Grant
Overview
Glen Lyon was founded in 2011 by Jamie Grant and Fiona Grant, journalists who had met in South America and returned to Scotland after Jamie took a job with WWF Scotland in Aberfeldy. Fiona had become fascinated with coffee on a Bolivian assignment about a green buyer and started the roastery on a £5k budget after a London School of Coffee three-day course and a used Turkish Garanti 5kg from eBay. The operation moved to its Aberfeldy Business Park premises in 2014 and now runs a 12kg Probat alongside a 25kg Probat. In 2022 it became the first specialty roaster in Scotland to import green coffee by sailboat.
Known for
- Founded 2011 by Jamie and Fiona Grant — journalists turned roasters
- B Corp certified
- First specialty roaster in Scotland to import green coffee by sailboat (2022)
- Operates a 12kg Probat and 25kg Probat at the Aberfeldy roastery
- Founded Project Northern Lights — barista mentorship for Highland school leavers
Why it matters
Glen Lyon is the proof that a serious specialty roastery can thrive in a town of 2,000 people in the Scottish Highlands rather than in a major city — and that doing so can be a genuine community asset rather than a vanity project. The sailboat-imported coffee, the solar panels on the roastery, the Northern Lights mentorship program for local school leavers, and the every-two-years Scottish Roasters Retreat in the Cairngorms add up to one of the more thoughtful operating models in UK specialty.
Production
- head roaster
- Fiona Grant
- roaster machine
- 12kg Probat and 25kg Probat
- roastery location
- Aberfeldy Business Park, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
Café
Aberfeldy Business Park, Aberfeldy PH15 2AQ
Recognitions
- B Corp certified